actually i found this one
Effects of Cortisol on the Body
Cortisol is a hormone, essential to health, produced by the adrenal glands which sit atop of the kidneys in response to stressful events. The occasional release of this “fight or flight” hormone is essential to our ability to respond to emergency situations.
Cortisol will have effects on the body when there is either too much or when it’s exposed to it on a regular basis. Evidence shows that continuously elevated cortisol levels are associated with difficulty maintaining weight, difficulty feeling relaxed, sugar or carbohydrate cravings, an increasingly negative perspective, moodiness, increased PMS symptoms, and increased appetite. A lack of adequate amounts of cortisol produces exhaustion, chronic fatigue, and diseases of the endocrine system such as Addison disease.
Cortisol’s role is to prepare the body for action and to accomplish this, it increase’s blood pressure and heart rate, mobilizes stored fat, breaks down muscle and bone, suppresses the immune system, increases the appetite, and decreases sensitivity to insulin, so more fat is stored. Normally cortisol does its job and goes away, allowing the body’s systems to return to its normal state. When the body is under constant stress it will suffer from perpetually elevated cortisol levels. Stress can be either physical or mental; it can be caused by a hectic lifestyle but also by extreme dieting, frequent strenuous exercise, or lack of sleep.
Overexposure to cortisol leads to a whole array of health problems. When cortisol increases blood pressure, it increases the amount of force exerted on the arteries. Excess fatty acids mobilized by cortisol also flow into the blood stream and begin to accumulate on the artery walls. Over time, this will lead to cardiovascular disease. Cortisol increases both the appetite and insulin levels, so elevated levels of cortisol will often result in weight gain. Stress-induced weight is usually gained around the waistline because fat cells in that area of the body are more sensitive to cortisol. It elevates blood sugar, starting or worsening diabetic conditions. Cortisol aids the body in turning off immune reactions like allergy and inflammation. While this is helpful during emergencies over the long term continuing exposure to elevated levels will result in a suppressed immune system. Byproducts of cortisol will depress brain activity and act as a sedative. Cortisol blocks serotonin contributing to a state of depression. Cortisol stimulates the breakdown of muscle and bone to supply the body with minerals and energy needed for fight or flight actions. It will also interfere with women’s hormone levels allowing further bone breakdown. Over the long-term, bone and muscle will be broken down faster than it’s replaced leading to osteoporosis. There are other stress induced health problems including loss of sex drive, acne, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, accelerated aging, and cancer.
If cortisol is harmful to your health, there are a couple of lifestyle changes you can do to control it. One of the best solutions is exercise. Exercise releases endorphins that will make you feel better, reducing stress levels thereby balancing the effects of cortisol. Other steps are to reduce your exposure and reaction to stress, take yoga classes, meditate, or take a nutritional supplement that will help modulate cortisol levels.
Persons who should be buying these types of nutritional supplements are adults. Adults, who are frequently under stress, get less than 8 hours of sleep per night, feel run down, lack mental focus and are performing at less than optimal level, limiting calories in excess of 500 per day or who frequently exercise strenuously
Jag
