Cortisol: The Dose Makes the Poison
HORMONES
Doug Grant
Stress triggers a chemical reaction in your body, namely producing cortisol. It’s a hormone produced by your adrenal glands and regulated by the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal gland. The right amount of cortisol
flowing through your system mainly helps control blood sugar levels, metabolism, reduce inflammation, and some memory formation.
On top of all that, cortisol is released to combat stress. When it comes to fight-or-flight moments, it’s hugely beneficial. However, when we’re constantly stressed, our body is constantly pumping out cortisol. This is anything but good for our health. The wrong amount of cortisol flowing through your system manifests as sleep troubles, comfort-food cravings, caffeine dependency, feeling scatterbrained, and an inability to lose a single pound, much less stop gaining weight.
The nutritional/biological root of all this is cortisol. Yes, it’s helpful too, but we’re too stressed out and often lack a healthy outlet so that cortisol levels rise high and trigger muscle loss, hyperglycemia, poor immune function, allergies, mental illness, and more.
Warning signs include mild depression or anxiety, low energy, low blood sugar or body temperature, weight gain, brain fog, poor sleep, low libido, and back pain. The signs and symptoms are widespread because your adrenal glands and cortisol play major roles in your overall health.
You can also magnify these problems by consuming caffeine, refined sugars, alcohol, dairy, and even soy. All of them compound the strain on your adrenals. So, yes, drinking five cups of coffee per day only makes life harder. Caffeine tells your adrenal glands to produce cortisol and adrenaline. This is the chemical’s way of telling your body to enter fight-or-flight mode. Since you trigger that mode every time you down a cup of caffeine, a crash follows after both caffeine and adrenaline run out.
The Nutritious Solution
The real, crash-free solution is to carefully loosen your death grip on caffeine and switch to nutrition that will help get you through your day with ease. Not sure you’re willing to give up caffeine? Switch to green tea, and if you need sweetness to make it palatable, add honey or stevia.
Caffeine aside, if you’re going to revive your adrenals, you need to pump yourself full of the nutrients your body bums through while under stress. Ample research backs up the use of ashwagandha, Bacopa monnieri, Panax gin-
"After 60 days of treatment, a reduction of 27.9% from baseline was observed."
seng, turmeric, and chelated minerals, such as magnesium, zinc, selenium, and chromium. Research shows that these nutrients have been shown to lower cortisol levels.
In one double-blind, placebo-controlled study evaluating the safety and efficacy of ashwagandha in reducing stress and anxiety, “The serum cortisol levels were substantially reduced in the ashwagandha group, relative to the placebo group. After 60 days of treatment, a reduction of 27.9% from baseline was observed.”1
Panax ginseng is traditionally used as a medicinal herb in Korea, Japan, China, and the United States because it contains natural antioxidant compounds. This nutrient has been used for thousands of years and is considered by many as the “king of herbs.” In many studies, it has proven to be an effective treatment for immunological and metabolic diseases, and even a stress mediator. One study said, “In addition to defending against the increase
in pro-inflammatory cytokines induced by anxiety and depression, ginseng can defend effectively against oxidative or nitrosative stress.”2
Like ginseng, turmeric has been used medicinally for nearly 4,000 years, and over 3,000 publications on turmeric have come out over the past 25 years alone. “The activities of turmeric include antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, antioxidant, antiseptic, cardio-protective, hepato-protective, nephro-protective, radio-protective, and digestive.”3 These are made possible through its antioxidant capabilities.
Organic minerals, such as those previously mentioned, have been proven to nutritionally support the adrenal glands and reduce cortisol levels. Magnesium and zinc are considered to be key adrenal ingredients; selenium has antioxidant benefits; and chromium supports vitamin C metabolism. These chelated minerals are in their most absorbable form and can reduce the effects of stress on the body.
Why use all of these instead of just ashwagandha? Because just one nutrient deficiency can throw off your whole system, and it takes a complete array of nutrients to restore and maintain balanced optimal health. Your adrenals need complete nutrition to bounce back, get
your cortisol levels under control, and help restore your system from head to toe.
The payoff? Ample energy to get you through the day, better sleep, reduced risk of developing diabetes, easier weight loss and management, reduced junk food cravings, better mood, and stronger immune system—all of that just because you helped your adrenal glands. And remember that the dose makes the poison when it comes to cortisol.
References:
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3573577/
2. https://www. ncbi. nlm. nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5628357/
3. https://www. ncbi. nlm. nih.gov/books/NBK92752/
Douglas Grant has been a team nutritionist for many NBA teams and professional athletes for more than 20 years. He owns Optimal Health Systems and formulates programs and therapeutic products for thousands of doctors around the world to help with disease and bring back optimal health. He M’orked with leading organic chemists from around the world to create a complete formula that lowers cortisol levels, resets your adrenal glands, and maintains abundant energy throughout the day.
Contact OHS for more information at 800-890-4547.
