37 | Q&A: Everything You Need to Know about Cortisol

How to: Fitness

In this episode of the How To Fitness podcast, hosts Michael Ulloa and Kate Lyman delve into the controversial topic of cortisol. They discuss the internet's obsession with cortisol and its impact on health, rooted in sensationalized online content. They tackle questions about what cortisol is, its functions, and whether certain conditions like adrenal fatigue are legitimate. They also examine myths about cortisol-related weight gain and the impact of caffeine and diet on cortisol levels. Kate and Michael emphasize the importance of managing stress through basic health practices and address the need for medical intervention in serious hormonal imbalances.

1:51 Cortisol is on the rise as a search term on Google and hashtag on Tik Tok. The rise in concern around Cortisol levels can cause individuals to overstimate how much time they need to spend thinking about coritsol. It can also be dismissive of legitimate medical disorders related to abnormal cortisol levels.

4:40 Question 1: What even is cortisol?

8:55 Question 2: Is elevated cortisol a bad thing?

10:31 Question 3: What is adrenal fatigue? What do I need to know about it?

• Cadegiani, F.A., Kater, C.E. Adrenal fatigue does not exist: a systematic review. BMC Endocr Disord 16, 48 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12902-016-0128-4

15:01 Question 4: Are cortisol face and cortisol belly real? What do I do about them?

19:10 Question 5: Does the timing of my coffee and food really impact my cortisol levels?

• Gavrieli, A., Yannakoulia, M., Fragopoulou, E., Margaritopoulos, D., Chamberland, J., Kaisari, P., Kavouras, S., & Mantzoros, C. (2011). Caffeinated coffee does not acutely affect energy intake, appetite, or inflammation but prevents serum cortisol concentrations from falling in healthy men.. The Journal of nutrition, 141 4, 703-7 . https://doi.org/10.3945/jn.110.137323.

22:30 Cortisol plays roles beyond just navigating stress in our bodies, and we can think about stress management and how we treat our bodies in general more than worrying about specific aspects of our hormonal health.

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Chapters

1. HTF 37 (00:00:00)

2. Introduction and Today's Topic (00:00:09)

3. The Hype Around Cortisol (00:00:58)

4. Understanding Cortisol (00:04:39)

5. Is Elevated Cortisol Bad? (00:08:54)

6. Debunking Adrenal Fatigue (00:10:31)

7. Cortisol Face and Belly (00:15:02)

8. Impact of Coffee and Food on Cortisol (00:19:10)

9. Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up (00:23:32)