Newsletter 3 - Do I have Too Much Cortisol

Some of my patients believe that their weight gain and/or slow weight loss is caused by an excess amount of the adrenal hormone cortisol. But for the great majority of patients, this is not the case. Cortisol is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands, and is increased in the rare case of the adrenal disease known as Cushing’s Syndrome or Cushing’s Disease, and to a lesser degree by increased levels of chronic stress. Cortisol hormone, known as the stress hormone, helps the body to deal with real physical trauma and damage, like accidents and physical injuries and also with psychological stresses like anxiety, worry, frustrations, depression and etc.. Cortisol secretion and increased levels in these situations is a normal response. But prolonged elevated cortisol levels cause damage to the body. Some such effects are elevations of blood sugar, hypertension, skin changes and fat depositions primarily in the face, central body (with thin legs and thin arms), and a build up of fat at the back of the neck, known as a ‘buffalo hump’. But if you think that your weight gain could be caused by an elevated level of cortisol, although it is a very rare condition, ask your physician to check for a cortisol level in the blood or a 24 hour urine collection for ‘free cortisol’. The signs of cortisol excess are very visible and pronounced and the excess can be evaluated by lab testing. Many individuals gain excess weight by increased stress induced emotional eating and very few have their excess weight gain caused by excess cortisol levels.