Are you searching for solutions for cortisol-induced metabolic problems? Check out our audio transcript to learn more.
7 Solutions for Cortisol-Induced Metabolic Problems
Dawn (00:00):
Hello and welcome to the Gastric Health Show. My name is Dawn Boxell, and this week’s topic is “Seven solutions for cortisol induced metabolic problems.” So last week we kind of just kind of uncovered how cortisol impacts your metabolic health and understanding kind of the underlying causes of why stress management is so important and why you can’t ignore chronically elevated cortisol levels. So this week it’s all about solutions and I do know that on my social media last week I did share some solutions. I hit some of the highlights, but we’re digging even deeper.
Dawn (00:58):
All of this is evidence-based. All has great foundations to really just setting you up to win and really just working on your nervous system so that you have options because in the end you cannot ignore this piece of health. And I wish it was asked more frequently. I truly wish this was a piece in healthcare that had a priority and that more people were taught how important this is to regulate your stress situations.
Dawn (01:42):
Because once that kind of gets out of hand, you really can get yourself in a bad loop, like you can get stuck. And when you are just in fight or flight for so long, that’s when lots of havoc occurs and that’s what we’re going to discuss. You have a variety of approaches that you can utilize for cortisol induced metabolic problems because you won’t need all of these, but finding a few that seem to click and work is super important.
Dawn (02:27):
So I just encourage you to listen up so that you can start implementing some of these and do it as a test them out. Just say, okay, for the next two weeks I’m going to try doing this and recognize if you noticed any improvements with your nervous system or how you felt so that you have tools in your toolbox to help you improve your stress management skills.
Dawn (03:02):
So this will we’ll go into deep on each of the areas, but we all from last week, hopefully you learned that cortisol really is a vital hormone that plays a significant role in your stress response and it’s also necessary for our survival. It is what your body utilizes to boost your blood sugar when it’s low. So we need this piece. So it’s not negative, cortisol is not negative, but it’s just neg, it becomes negative when it just continues for days, weeks, months, years. When people get stuck in that fight or flight, that’s when health problems occur.
Dawn (03:57):
So the more you tap into your nervous system and understand strategies that can improve and get you out of fight or flight or that sympathetic nervous system state and put you into parasympathetic nervous system state, the better and more quickly you’ll be able to prevent and reverse diseases so important to understand.
Dawn (04:28):
But while cortisol, when released in short bursts can help you run from danger, which we talked about last week, when it’s released for too long, it can cause more harm than good. And that’s why you know that from last week’s we talked about how it can contribute when elevated cortisol levels when they’re chronically elevated or stay high for too long, it contributes to your metabolic problems like insulin resistance, weight gain, and inflammation. So the good thing is that there are ways to improve your health and wellbeing if you struggle with issues related to elevated cortisol levels.
Evidence-Based Solutions for Combating Cortisol-Induced Metabolic Problems
Dawn (05:12):
So what are some evidence-based solutions that truly work for combating cortisol induced metabolic problems? The first one is exercise regularly. Now, I know for some people this is like a four letter word, they want no part of exercise. They hate raising their heart rate, they hate sweating, they hate every aspect of it, but I promise you if you want want a long healthy life where you are able to care for yourself, there’s no way out of this exercising regularly is going to be necessary.
Dawn (06:03):
So this is regardless of how you love it or hate it, find something that you can do that just works in your life. If you want to think about stress hormones, weight regulation, so even weight maintenance, not just weight loss, I don’t necessarily look at exercise as truly a weight loss benefit because genetically, if you’ve listened to some of my other podcasts, I’ve talked about this, how genetically some of us are predis predispositioned to truly not benefit from exercise with weight loss.
Dawn (06:45):
So that means when you exercise, the end result is not weight loss. So that’s where you have to look at exercise for the other benefits of your health that it provides. And cortisol regulation is one of them. So this is something that you might find helpful in making your decision of what you’re willing to commit to when it comes to moving your body more.
#1 Exercise regularly
Dawn (07:14):
But exercise is an effective way to reduce your cortisol levels and improve your metabolic health. And regular physical activity is linked to lower cortisol levels, increased insulin sensitivity, which is good. You want your insulin to be sensitive, meaning that it is it capturing that blood sugar and putting it in the cell so that you can turn that into energy and it gives you the bursts of energy that you need to stay energized all throughout the day so that way it helps it, the insulin sensitivity makes everything better and also a reduced risk of obesity and type two bi diabetes.
Dawn (08:00):
Additionally, exercise reduces stress and anxiety further lowering your cortisol levels. So researchers found that high intensity interval training or hit training or hit exercises, I should say effectively reduced cortisol levels and improved insulin sensitivity and hit exercises, enhance glucose tolerance, lowers cortisol levels, which in turn this is what in turn improves your insulin sensitivity. HIT training is really when you’re doing those, you do one movement for 30 seconds. This is where you’re doing one movement for 20 to 30 seconds at a time,
Dawn (08:54):
Maybe minute, and then you’re switching and doing a different movement. So that’s kind of what the HIIT training is. Now I will encourage you to think about the intensity on this. So you can do it where you’re jumping and doing all the crazy HIIT training or you can just do it where you are not jumping and you are just moving your body in that motion without leaving the floor. And that is equally as impactful. And I will say for those menopausal females, HIIT training really isn’t a great workout to do on a regular basis because when you get in that season of life,
Dawn (09:47):
it can actually increase your cortisol level because you’re naturally, those metabolic patterns are shifting and your cortisol level naturally rises during that season of life. So HIIT training would not be recommended for the menopausal, perimenopausal, menopausal females during that season of life, but you could do the motion, so you could do the same exercises, just not at an intense workout.
Dawn (10:21):
You’re just instead of jumping, you’re just maybe slowly doing things or maybe you’re doing things in a chair, those types of workouts. But again, moving your body is still going to benefit that cortisol level as long as it’s not excessive. So you don’t need to again, do hit training. You don’t need to do some cycle class at a high level or CrossFit class. No yoga, pilates, walking and strength training are truly beneficial for anyone at any season of life. So one study found that resistance training specifically reduced cortisol levels in individuals with metabolic syndrome.
Dawn (11:12):
So if you already know that, hey, you know what, my blood sugar’s trending high, I’m in the pre-diabetes range with my blood sugar, my a1c, maybe even your fasting insulin. If you get that tested and maybe that’s above 10, so you’re in that pre-diabetes state or for metabolic syndrome, then resistance training is your friend. Some type of strength training muscle work is important. So think of that perimenopause, menopause female, your best friend is yoga, Pilates and resistance training or weights. So get find some type of workout. I mean there are apps that have it.
Dawn (12:01):
Sworkit was one app that I used to recommend because it used to be free. I don’t know if they say it sworkit or sworkit, I’m not sure how it’s pronounced, but I used to recommend this one all the time and it’s a paid platform. Although when I looked at it just recently, it was like 80 bucks a year. So pretty reasonable, but it gives you the workouts and it, it shows a person on your phone doing the movement and then does a time clock so that you can do it with them.
Dawn (12:37):
I think they have a free version, so there’s a paywall for sure, but I think there is maybe a very small free option on that workout app. But check it out if you want one. If you’re at home and you’re like, you know what? I don’t have a gym near, I have no desire to go to a gym, I don’t know what I’m doing at the gym.
Dawn (13:00):
Then maybe try that app or find some YouTube videos or something that you can actually just use your muscles and get some little hand weights, get some exercise bands. You don’t have to go crazy and buy a whole bunch of stuff, but a few things and that will get you started and then you take it from there. If you love it and you want to do more than do more, you could also think about just hiring a trainer to create a workout for you that you do at home.
Dawn (13:33):
And I would say you could probably find any of those types of trainers online or at a gym that they could put together a program for you that you don’t leave your house for. So again, there are so many options and to me, I don’t have one that is a favorite and I think you just have to do what works for you and makes sense that you’re going to be consistent with, because that’s the key.
So how do I develop this into a practice?
Dawn (14:01):
You can’t just do this for a few weeks and then be done. This needs to be a practice. So how do I develop this into a practice? And if you are just a verse to it, you’re like the thought of it just doesn’t really sound fun, start experimenting, start. Just do a class at something or find a friend that you can be accountable with and start that ball rolling so that you want, you’re moving into that direction at least that you’re like, okay, I’m willing to do something.
Dawn (14:42):
Whether you start it right now or not, that may be a different story. That may take some time for you to get to the place where you’re like, okay, I’m ready. I’ve got to do this. And you take action, you, you’ve got to start just exploring that before you get to where you actually take action.
Dawn (15:02):
So don’t discount the searching, the experimenting, the considerations of any type of movement, whether you took action or not, because all of that is you’re getting in that pre-contemplation state of, okay, I’m considering this. I may be willing to do some of these things. And you’ll slowly move into where you’re actually taking action and then once you take action in the right type of workout, it’ll stick and you will love it and you will do it.
Dawn (15:39):
It will be your practice. So I make that sound simple because I know it’s not. I would say this is I’m in a funk right now and this is something that I am hiring somebody. I’ve decided I need to hire somebody one to make me accountable. And two that I just have a routine and I just have, I’m mindless about it. So I love my walks. We do walks.
Dawn (16:08):
Sometimes I take up to three walks in a day, sometimes it’s once a day, but I would say I’m virtually active all the time with snow skiing and hiking and biking. I love all those things. But the strength training piece, I’m so hit or miss. And so I have just decided that there is a gym that is actually owned here locally by an ER physician, a retired ER physician, and they created a gym where you have to work with a trainer each time you come in for once a week and then you do the rest on your own. So I’m committing to this so that I can one, get that accountability on the strength training and get guidance. I feel like I do some of the apps and then I’m like, eh, I halfway do it. I’m not even sure if I’m doing it right.
Dawn (17:05):
So then I just don’t do it. So that’s where I’m like, they require a six month commitment and you have to come in once a week to meet with the trainer and then you just do that for six months. I think things like that is important. And to me, this committing to this gym, I will say it is geared more for older people. They created this gym because they wanted it for people that were falling.
Dawn (17:35):
The older people who were falling, they just didn’t have the muscle mass because as I’ve talked about many times how we lose our muscle mass as we age, and if you don’t use your muscles, you are losing them. So that’s where think I will probably be with other older individuals, which will be interesting. But yeah, fun. So I’ll have to maybe update you as I go through this, so that will be fun to explore.
Dawn (18:04):
But so anyway, we know that exercise is important. It is just key that you find what works for you and know that you listen to your body. So if you find that you start doing some workouts and there may be a little bit more aggressive, pay attention to how you feel. Do you feel more anxious, more irritable, do you have a difficulty falling asleep? Those types of things, then you might need to back it down and switch to a more moderate to low intense workout, which will kind of help regulate that cortisol level better.
#2 Get enough sleep
Dawn (18:46):
The next one is sleep. Get enough sleep. And I have done several posts on this, but sleep plays a crucial role in regulating your cortisol levels and maintaining your overall health. And chronic sleep deprivation can increase cortisol levels leading to metabolic problems like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, all of that.
Dawn (19:09):
So anyone who has a C P A P machine can understand this that blood sugars will rise when you aren’t sleeping well or you’re waking up several times and you’re unaware. So again, I think this is a important piece that you can’t discount and you can’t ignore and not track. You’ll have to check out some of my other videos, podcasts and blog posts on sleep. I’ve covered this a few different times on the importance of why you need to have good quality sleep,
Dawn (19:45):
but researchers found that sleep deprivation increases your cortisol level, decreases insulin sensitivity, so that makes you so that your insulin level is higher, meaning that your insulin is not going to be responsive to high blood sugars. It’s going to do nothing about your blood sugar because it’s just high all the time. The study concluded that adequate sleep was essential for regulating cortisol levels and maintaining metabolic health.
How does sleep regulate cortisol levels?
Dawn (20:14):
So sleep is important, but how does sleep regulate cortisol levels? Cortisol follows a natural circadian rhythm with levels highest in the morning and that gradually decreases throughout the day. Poor quality sleep and disturbances of sleep can disrupt this natural rhythm leading to the elevated cortisol levels. So studies have shown that a getting adequate sleep can help regulate your cortisol level and improve metabolic.
Dawn (20:48):
The results of one study showed that participants who slept eight and a half hours per night had lower cortisol levels and better insulin sensitivity compared to those who slept for only five and a half hours per night. So some of you may be saying, oh my gosh, I’d love to get eight and a half hours. I think even if you went to six and a half or seven and a half, I bet you see that the insulin sensitivity is better the more hours that you sleep.
Dawn (21:16):
Another study found that sleep restriction led to a dysregulated cortisol response and increased insulin resistance, which again contributes more to that metabolic disorder. So good quality sleep for long enough. So it’s not just about quantity, it’s about quality. The next one is eat a balanced diet. So what does this mean? When it comes to a balanced diet, you need to provide your body with all the nutrients that it needs to produce and regulate hormones, which would be cortisol.
#3 Eat a balanced diet
Dawn (21:56):
And a balanced diet would include whole nutrient dense food sources like fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains that can help to stabilize your blood sugar levels, which can in turn help to regulate your cortisol levels. So one study found that a high protein, low carbohydrate diet reduced cortisol levels and improved insulin sensitivity, and this was somewhere in between the range of a hundred to 150 grams of carbohydrates.
Dawn (22:29):
Whereas another study found that when you did carbohydrates around the 20 to 50 grams of carbohydrates consistently, so more in that ketogenic diet range that those individuals were prone to higher cortisol levels. So again, it’s not about everyone needs to follow a ketogenic diet to maintain a healthy weight. No, it is that you need a certain amount of carbohydrates for your body to function appropriately. And yes, you can be fat adapted and do regulate things in a different way.
Dawn (23:11):
So yes, I totally understand that. I understand why people utilize this type of eating, but I also am real. I’m also realize that most people cannot sustain that lifelong, and I’ve talked about this many times. So I’m neutral. I utilize this in those situations where, and by this I mean a ketogenic diet. I utilize this type of eating only in certain scenarios because again, this is forever.
Dawn (23:48):
You have to learn to eat forever and not just from diet to diet to diet. So that’s where you still stay low carb. If you’re 150 grams and under, there’s so much flexibility with being at a hundred to 150 grams of carbs in a day that you can maintain a very healthy weight without feeling so restricted and you have to say no to everything. And just in a bad place with food, you get a poor relationship with food. So that’s where I think you have to think out of the box. And the whole controversy of car carbohydrates with bariatric patients is truly there. And I did a post on this, you’ll have to find this as well. I did a YouTube blog and post on the controver, the carbohydrate controversy after bariatric surgery. And I think I’m not opposed to a low carbohydrate diet.
Cortisol-regulating foods
Dawn (24:57):
It just doesn’t need to be a very low carbohydrate diet. There is just a small percentage of people who truly need this style of eating. And the studies show that cortisol levels, especially for some individuals, probably more specifically females, and that perimenopause menopausal stage will have a rise in that cortisol level with too low of a carbohydrate diet. So again, you’ve got to loosen up those reigns on the carbohydrates, but truly focus on whole real food.
Dawn (25:38):
And here’s what I would say if you’re concerned. So if you’re like, okay, why? How can I increase these carbohydrates but yet not feel like I’m doing the opposite of what I need? This to me is where a cgm, our continuous glucose monitor is so insightful because this is how your body is responding. So if you’re like, okay, I’m afraid to have a potato, use a cgm, test it. How could you have a potato by itself? Have it after a salad, have it after protein, have it at the very end of the meal, test it,
Dawn (26:24):
and then you’re going to know, is this rising my blood sugar? Is this impacting the glucose level regularly and making my insulin stay elevated and my a1c? That’s which carbohydrates to use. You are dialing in to how your body responds to carbohydrates. That’s what I would say. So if you’re afraid to move up and you’re like, ah, I just can’t do it, get a cgm, talk to your doctor.
Dawn (26:53):
You can get one for like 75 bucks and for a month it’d be a whole month of continuous monitoring and you can literally just put it on and evaluate it, and that will at least give you insight on which carbohydrates respond better with your body because you got to think about the genetic piece because the genetics is contributing to it. So certain genes will make you react to certain foods more than someone else who doesn’t have those genes.
Dawn (27:28):
So again, it’s taken that full scope. You’re taking, you’re looking at the big picture of health and you’re not being restrictive on anything that you don’t need to be. And then I also like to say, pay attention to how you feel. How does food make you feel? And that’s super important to connect. What symptoms am I experiencing and okay, what does this mean and when did it happen?
How do I feel before I eat? How do I feel after I eat?
How do I feel before I eat? How do I feel after I eat? Maybe how do I feel three or four hours after I eat? Do I feel bloated and gassy and just uncomfortable or I am I fully satisfied? Can I make it to the next meal? Those types of things. Pay attention to how food makes you feel and again, that will help you identify if certain foods are helping you regulate your cortisol levels better. Because if you are one restricting carbohydrates too much,
Dawn (28:31):
you may feel like, oh my gosh, I’m so anxious in the morning. I’m just, maybe you’re restricting too many carbohydrates and you need to have something. Maybe at bedtime, that’s when you need to have it or you need to have it at your evening meal. Again, it is a CGM that would help and just paying attention to how you feel.
Dawn (28:53):
But again, it doesn’t have to be super restrictive with 20 to 50 grams of carbs a day. So what are some cortisol regulating foods? Certain foods and nutrients have been found to impact cortisol levels directly. For example, consuming foods rich in vitamin C such as oranges, strawberries, and bell peppers has reduced corti cortisol levels in response to stress. Additionally, omega-3 fatty acid foods such as fatty fish and nuts have all also been shown to reduce cortisol levels in improved metabolic health. Similarly, magnesium is a nutrient found like in leafy greens, nuts, seeds can regulate cortisol levels in improved metabolic health.
Dawn (29:40):
So avoiding foods that can contribute to elevated cortisol levels such as process refined sugars and caffeine is important. I did do a social media post on caffeine and why that matters because that can increase your cortisol level more. If you already in the morning say your morning cortisol level is elevated, having caffeine first thing as soon as you wake up is the opposite of what you want to do.
Dawn (30:14):
You don’t want to have caffeine first thing in the morning. Some studies show and some researchers feel that you could go about 90 minutes after waking before you have any type of caffeine to have a better regulation of those stress hormones because naturally your cortisol is rising in the morning. But if you’re one that for one, say your blood sugar drops in the night and your cortisol has to soar high to get your blood sugar back up,
Dawn (30:48):
then that morning cortisol may be elevated more because your blood sugar’s dropping at night. So then you have a higher cortisol in the morning, you add caffeine to the mix and it just shoots it even higher. Again, timing and types of food matter. So here are some foods that can help manage cortisol levels, dark chocolate. The flavonoids in dark chocolate, reduce cortisol levels by buffering the stress reactivity in your adrenal glands, whole grains.
Dawn (31:24):
So think of whole grain cereals and breads and pastas and rice and those types of grains. They’re rich in plant-based polyphenols and fiber which may benefit your gut health and stress levels. Whole fruits and vegetables, the antioxidants and polyphenols in the fruits and vegetables help fight free radicals that damage cells. Legumes and lentils, the fiber. So think of beans, lentils are all they have. They’re the trifecta. They have resistant starch soluble and insoluble fibers.
Dawn (32:09):
They are a great option and should be consumed regularly. Something that I really challenge people to do, increase your beans and lentils so that one, it can help manage your blood sugar level better. And support a healthy gut by producing those short-term fatty acids and just really helping stabilize hormones. Overall healthy fats. Those that consume a diet low in saturated fat and high and unsaturated fats have better mental health and wellbeing.
Dawn (32:43):
So if you’re thinking about, Hey, my cortisol level is elevated, one, you may not know that it’s elevated. What you know is I feel anxious and irritable, and that’s where those healthy fats can help with that, especially in the fatty fish. Avocados, really just those high omega-3 fatty acids. So those small fish like herring, trout, mackerel, and wild caught salmon, those are all great sources of omega-3 fatty acids that can truly help regulate your nervous system better.
Dawn (33:27):
Additionally, nuts and seeds are also good sources. Next is green tea, and I have talked about green tea many times, but several studies have linked green tea with reduced stress and improved mental alertness due to the altheine that is naturally in green tea and it’s a calming, which is a calming compound found in the leaves. So drinking a green tea every day can truly make a huge impact.
Dawn (33:56):
Just keep in mind there is caffeine in green tea, usually at about a third of what’s in a cup of coffee, so definitely way better. So you’re going to have a little bit less of a spike in your cortisol, but if you have cortisol issues, calf, any caffeine could do this. So again, waiting until like 90 minutes after you’ve eaten your breakfast and been up for a little while and not having it first thing could truly help. They also do offer some decaf versions or caffeine free versions of green tea.
Dawn (34:32):
That could be an option. Or if you just do the herbal teas, they are naturally caffeine free. So if you’re like, I can’t even handle the green tea, I can’t handle the caffeine in it right yet, so do the herbal teas instead. You will get some additional benefits. Not the same, but there are many that offer antioxidants and polyphenols in them.
Dawn (34:56):
So any type of the herbal tea would be satisfactory to me. It’s just the green tea has the evidence backed that the altheine in them can actually help with improving that stress response. Probiotics and prebiotics such as foods that are naturally rich in probiotics. So think of sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, those are all great food choices to pick that has beneficial gut bacteria that you can help feed the good bacteria that you already have in an add to it.
Dawn (35:37):
Now what’s going to help that grow is when you have the prebiotics, so that is your vegetables and most prebiotics are in vegetable, some fruit forms as well, but soluble fibers are a great source of prebiotics and going to help support better mental health, so your resiliency to stressful events. And then overall just better gut health. I know our gastric health line has probiotics that are very well vetted with bariatric patients and they do fabulous.
Dawn (36:16):
Our most popular one is the Ultimate Gut restore and it has 50 billion CFUs of colony for forming units in a great blend of different bacteria, beneficial bacteria, but especially helpful for those with constipation. So it can be utilized if you don’t have constipation in the way that it can help prevent it because five of the seven strains actually have research backing its use in constipation. So it’s one that you can get great benefit from by taking it on a daily basis,
Dawn (36:56):
and it does have a very gentle prebiotic included in it and which is why I love this product so much. So just a side note, and then the last thing is water. Water is so important that you can’t discount that, but when we are dehydrated, then this can increase your cortisol level. So sometimes if you’re like, okay, I just feel so stressed, evaluate, do I feel thirsty?
Dawn (37:25)
If the answer is yes, go get some water, put a little bit of salt. I love the red men’s real salt and it’s you just take a little pinch, put it in your water and what that will do, because water needs electrolytes to get into the cells and that’s where that red men, Redmond real salt has all the different minerals in them, the magnesium and the sodium, and that will help it enter the cell better so that you stay hydrated longer. So staying hydrated is a key piece for maintaining your stress hormone levels at appropriate levels.
Dawn (38:05):
Number four. So now we’ve kind of covered the number one was the exercise regularly. Number two was get enough sleep. Number three, eat up balanced diet, and we went through all the different food things. And then number four is stress management techniques. So this is where you have to get into mindfulness and some meditation, maybe even some yoga. Yoga has so much evidence behind reducing cortisol levels and improving depression and anxiety just from the movements of the exercises.
#4 Stress Management Techniques
Dawn (38:41):
So if you truly struggle with this mental health aspect, I would encourage you to check out yoga workouts and you can incorporate yoga and Pilates. That is another thing that can work on the strength training. So if you do certain types of workouts like that, you’ll be doing double whammy. You’ll be getting the benefits of the exercise and the stress management. So it’s again, a great way to do two things or do one thing and get two benefits out of it.
Dawn (39:22):
But several studies suggest incorporating stress reduction techniques into your daily routine. Daily routine effectively manages cortisol levels and reduces metabolic problems. So again, we’re going to be fighting that metabolic issues that occur when our cortisol level maintains at high levels. Number five is practice mindfulness. Meditations and cortisol levels have been shown to decrease with mindfulness, mindfulness meditation, and in improve insulin sensitivity.
#5 Practice Mindfulness Meditation
Dawn (39:58):
So pretty impactful if you just five minutes, two minutes, I mean find a practice that you can do a short meditation every day that can help maintain and lower that cortisol level. The more you work on that nervous system and the more you regulate that, the better. One study found overweight women reduced their cortisol level significantly after eight weeks of mindfulness meditation training. So again, I think you know, have to think out the box. No, these are not things that we were taught in school to care for ourselves, which I think is a disservice.
Dawn (40:41):
I wish we had more of this being taught to our children, but you as an adult, we have to take responsibility of our own self care and at some point you have to say, okay, I have to do something about this. If I’m depressed and anxious and irritable and fly off the handle and angry all the time, your nervous system is not regulated very well, and that’s where it is figuring out one, just identifying it. What am I feeling? What am I experiencing?
Dawn (41:13):
I think it’s easy, especially for females to ignore all the things that you’re feeling and then you just treach through the day taking care of everybody else because one, maybe you’re stuck in fight or flight, so you don’t even know how to help yourself. And so there’s no shame in that. It’s just recognizing it. First you have to recognize it that this is even an issue.
Dawn (41:39):
And then once you do, you can find so many resources that are super helpful for people. Then another study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine showed that mindfulness based stress reduction reduces cortisol levels and improves insulin sensitivity in comparison with the control control group. Participants who practice this mindfulness based stress reduction practice experienced a decrease in their cortisol levels and an improvement in insulin sensitivity.
#6 Maintain your spirituality
Dawn (42:15):
Number six, maintain your spirituality. So this is where faith comes in and we all have to have, or in my opinion, I don’t want to make this to offend anyone, that is not my purpose, but for me, I have a faith, I have a spirituality and I follow that to guide me. And when you have some type of spirituality, you don’t have to have a religion per se, but that you have faith and that you have someone higher, a higher calling that is there to or is there for you.
Dawn (43:00):
It’s im, it’s an important piece in your overall health. And some studies, they have done studies on this. And actually when I was at the Bariatric Center, it was out of a Catholic hospital, so this was something that was evaluated and we had a priest who did a research study with our patients. He used to come and do prayer with our patients, and he used to do it way back when, years ago he would do it. He would come to our nutrition class and he would do a prayer during the class for those who wanted to participate.
Dawn (43:40):
And then he then further went into doing a research study so that he can evaluate people’s spirituality and what changed after surgery. I really can’t recall what the results of that study was or the details of it in all honesty because it was so many years ago.
Dawn (43:57):
But again, studies do show that adults who express spiritual faith experience lower cortisol levels during times of stress, such as illness, surgeries, life events. They have just a lower, they have more resilience. You have more resilience when you have faith. Additionally, prayer reduces anxiety, depression, and stress. So if this is something that maybe you’ve strayed away from and maybe you could rekindle that relationship with a greater power, that is another way that you can help lower your stress hormones and get you out of fear. You can’t have faith if you have fear.
Dawn (44:41):
So if you are in a fear state, you’re afraid that you’re going to regain weight, you’re afraid that it’s not going to work, you’re afraid that you’re going to do something wrong, you need faith, not fear. So that’s where you have to consider this piece. And that’s all I’m going to share.
#7 Consider Supplements
Dawn (45:04):
So I think that’s enough. You got the just of that. Number seven is consider supplements. So certain supplements may also help to regulate cortisol levels and improve your metabolic health. For example, several studies show that ashwaganda in which is an adaptogenic herb, has been shown to reduce cortisol levels and improve insulin sensitivity. A study published in the Journal of A Y U Ashwaganda supplementation for 30 days significantly reduced cortisol levels in a group of chronically stressed adults.
Ashwagandha
Dawn (45:43):
And I think if I remember right, it reduced it by like 27% in that 30 days by utilizing this ashwaganda. So ashwaganda is something to consider. And it additionally, it not only lowers your cortisol level, it can also improve your metabolic health by lowering or improving that insulin sensitivity with individuals who have type two diabetes. By decreasing that fasting blood glucose level, the nact is omega-3 fatty acids and omega-3 fatty acids.
Dawn (46:23):
So this is truly just something you can get in your diet by doing more fatty fish like wild caught salmon. You can do trout, herring, mackerel, those are all great sources of omega-3. And then the plant source, the nuts and seeds that comes in the alpha linoleic acid and that will convert to the omega-3 at low percentages. So ideally you’re getting it from one of these other sources like the seafood, the fish, those certain fish, but they did find that participants who were supplemented with omega-3 fatty acids for six weeks had lower cortisol levels and improved muscle recovery after exercise.
Omega-3 fatty acids
Dawn (47:10):
Furthermore, omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity in people with metabolic disorders. So I’m not against fish oil, I take it myself and I take like four soft gels a day. So I hit high levels, but I also prioritize getting omega-3 in my diet.
Dawn (47:33):
I don’t know why, but I think I can blame my son-in-law. He is super into sardines, and so he convinced me to try ’em and I’ve been hooked. So I probably buy three cans a week of sardines or mackerel, just the canned mackerel. I like it in the lemon flavor and I just chop it up and put it with other vegetables or sometimes of grain. It just depends on what I’m doing. But I really like having it for a quick lunch.
Dawn (48:05):
It’s easy to get a good amount of protein and actually add to some other protein sources. The can I have doesn’t provide enough protein, so I always add more protein to it, but I just like it and I’m getting the omega-3 fatty acids. I’ve occasionally had it for a snack. It is a great amount of food for a snack. So if you like that, that’s a great option.
Dawn (48:32):
So I challenge you if you have never tried canned sardines or canned mackerel or canned trout, I would challenge you to do it. Just get a can and try it because for one, they don’t taste fishy in my opinion. They are super high in calcium as well because of the tiny bones, which you don’t taste or feel or nothing, but they’re there because they’re so soft and tender. But it’s a great way to help get your omega-3 S and get some healthy fats and get some extra calcium from your food. The next one is magnesium.
Magnesium
Dawn (49:14):
Magnesium is a mineral found in foods like spinach, almonds, beans have all been shown to reduce stress. And can help reduce your cortisol level. One study in the American College of Nutrition, participants who supplemented magnesium for four weeks have lower cortisol levels and better sleep. Magnesium has also been found to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation in individuals meth, metabolic disorders.
Dawn (49:42):
So personally I would use magnesium glycinate in this scenario and that would be the best choice. That’s the one that’s going to provide the most highly absorbable form, would probably be my first pick. I would not do the magnesium oxide or the citrate as they’re not as highly absorbable and they have more of a laxative effect at high doses. So again, magnesium glycinate is your friend, and that would be a great option to add if you do a supplement. And the next one are, the last is probiotics and vitamin D supplementation.
Dawn (50:23):
A probiotic supplement can also reduce cortisol levels improved metabolic health. According to a study on obese women, a probiotic supplement. They took one for 12 weeks and it significantly reduced their cortisol levels and improved insulin sensitivity. And I think what it did is it lowered their cortisol by 15% and by taking a probiotic supplement.
Dawn (50:47):
So it is worth doing that. And on there, one specific bacteria strain is bifidobacteria longum. That one has been shown to truly that strain has truly been connected with lowering cortisol levels. So when you are looking for a good probiotic, make sure it has that bifido bacterium longum and that will help support your stress hormones better. Our W ls formulated probiotic has this bifidobacterium longum in it. And you can utilize it on a regular basis to help support your cortisol levels more quickly.
Dawn (51:39):
So again, it’s an option, but anytime you’re looking, if you struggle with stress. And you don’t know or know if your cortisol is elevated. I would encourage you to get the bifidobacterium longum in one in that probiotic. That you’re taking regularly if stress is truly a thing. So I would consider that as an option. Our W ls formulated probiotic. Additionally, vitamin D supplementation has been found to reduce cortisol levels in overweight and obese women.
Probiotics and Vitamin D supplementation
Dawn (52:13):
A deficit of vitamin D is associated with elevated cortisol levels. And metabolic disorders, and that is true for a lot of things. Low vitamin D is associated with a lot of comorbidities and health problems. So make sure you are taking your vitamin D three. You don’t want D two, you want D three, and make sure you’re taking that on a regular basis as well as trying to get out on the sunshine with no sunscreen for at least 15, 20 minutes. As often as possible that will help support it as well. And it’s important to note that while supplements contribute to a healthy lifestyle,
Dawn (52:52):
they should not be used as a substitute for your proper nutrition, your exercise in stress management. You can’t just take a pill to and expect to fix it all. It just doesn’t work that way. I know healthcare has made us believe that. That all you have to do is take this pill and everything goes away, and you don’t have to deal with that symptom any longer, which may be the case.
Dawn (53:20):
It’s putting a bandaid on that symptom. But you, if you have to take this for decades or the rest of your life. You will likely experience some side effects that will require another medication in some way, shape or form. So proper nutrition, proper movement, proper stress management are all necessary for having a healthy life. But make sure before starting any type of supplement you work with a health healthcare practitioner like myself. Who can help you sort through what you take and making sure that you know a probiotic or a magnesium or omega-3 is not going to interfere with any of that.
Dawn (54:05):
But additionally, your best resource for that as well is a pharmacist talking to your pharmacist saying. Hey, will any of my medications interact with magnesium or with fish oil or any of that? So let’s wrap this up. Cortisol induced metabolic problems can have a significant impact on overall health and wellbeing.
Conclusion
Dawn (54:28):
However, several evidence-based solutions can help reduce cortisol levels and improve your metabolic health. Like stress management techniques, exercise, sleep, and a healthy diet can all help combat the cortisol induced metabolic problems. Finally, paying attention to cortisol levels and reducing them as necessary is important. Incorporating evidence-based solutions that we shared today. And positive lifestyle changes can boost your metabolic health and reduce cortisol related health problems. So again, I always love sharing about our gastric health membership.
Dawn (55:08):
These are conversations I have on a regular basis when you become a gastric health member. And we work through these different behaviors and lifestyle habits that are necessary for you to maintain health long term. It’s not just about your diet all the time. We dial in your stress, we dial in your sleep, we dial in hormones. We work on all aspects so that you have the ability to. Because your body works as one continuous system and not individual areas.
Dawn (55:48):
So we focus on that as your body working as one. And if your cortisol is off, then you are likely going to have digestive issues. You are likely going to be having maybe even difficulties tolerating some foods if the stress is bad enough. So again, the gastric health membership is truly your best value for getting these resources that can be so beneficial to you. So I hope you guys have enjoyed this information on cortisol and. I hope that you can get some things started to help you go in the right direction with lowering that cortisol level. You guys have a great week and we’ll see you next time. Bye-bye.
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