Cortisol Belly: What Is It and How To Treat It?

It’s January; the time of year when social pressures push you towards the gym, determined to tackle the weight you’ve been telling yourself wasn’t really there. You may have been putting in the effort, sweating it out for weeks, but what you see in the mirror isn’t reflecting the progress you’d hoped for. Even with a strict calorie deficit and a relentless workout schedule, the results still seem elusive.

Stress could be the hidden culprit. It may sound far-fetched, but stress can be a major player in weight struggles. Indeed, we present to you ‘cortisol belly’: a stubborn layer of fat around the abdomen linked to consistently high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. But if stress is the hidden force behind your weight woes, the big question is, how can you combat it? As you may have guessed when you clicked on a supplement manufacturers website, we’re here to tell you which supplements will help you out. 

What is Cortisol Belly?

Cortisol belly is exactly what it sounds like; a buildup of stubborn fat around your abdomen, thanks to prolonged high levels of the stress hormone cortisol. This glucocorticoid hormone is essential for keeping your body in balance:

• Regulating your body’s stress response
• Helping control metabolism
• Suppressing inflammation 
• Regulating blood pressure and sugar
• Helping control your sleep-wake cycle 

However, too much cortisol can actually throw everything entirely off balance. Indeed, chronic stress turns cortisol from a helpful ally into a saboteur, adding unwanted fat straight to your midsection.

Due to its roots being hormonal rather than caloric, cortisol belly often resists diet and exercise, making it extremely difficult to shift the weight once it does appear. However, it won’t just be a bit of extra weight you notice, with cortisol belly often appearing alongside a host of other symptoms:

Cravings for Sugary or Fatty Foods: Have you ever noticed how stress makes you subconsciously reach for snacks at a breakneck rate? That’s your heightened cortisol levels! When cortisol levels spike, so do cravings for high-energy, feel-good foods that deliver a temporary hit of comfort as you blissfully indulge in them.

Fatigue: Chronic stress can leave your body feeling as if it has nothing left to give. Well, that’s because it really doesn’t have anything left to give. High cortisol levels disrupt your circadian rhythm (your body’s internal clock), leaving you tired during the day but wired at night. You will consequently find yourself in a perpetual state of exhaustion.

Mood Swings: Cortisol doesn’t just mess with your waistline, it also impacts your mood. Beyond being upset with what you see in the mirror, elevated levels of cortisol can lead to irritability, anxiety and even depression.

So, dealing with cortisol belly is much more than just carrying a little extra weight around your midriff. Whether it’s due to work pressures, financial struggles or health worries, it all stems from being overly stressed…

What Causes Cortisol Belly?

To quickly recap, having elevated levels of the primary stress hormone for an extended period leads to weight gain. But hang on, how could there possibly be a connection between stress and an expanding waistline? If anything, it surely makes more sense for stress to send our weight tumbling the other way. Fortunately, science, as always, is here to bridge the gap between skepticism and understanding:

Triggers Fat Storage

Cortisol interacts with fat cells in a way that promotes the storage of energy, particularly in the abdominal area. This is partly due to the higher density of cortisol receptors in visceral fat, making this region more susceptible to its effects. The evolutionary purpose of this mechanism was to ensure energy reserves during times of stress, but in today’s stress-filled lives, it leads to an unwanted ‘belly’ forming.

Increases Appetite

When cortisol levels rise, they stimulate the release of ghrelin, the hunger hormone, while suppressing leptin, the hormone responsible for satiety. This hormonal shift makes you feel hungry even when your body has sufficient energy stores, encouraging you to overeat. Foods high in sugar and fat are particularly tempting because, as we all know, they provide a rapid energy boost, feeding into a vicious cycle of overconsumption causing you to pile the weight on.

Impairs Metabolism

Chronic cortisol elevation can reduce muscle mass through a process called proteolysis, where proteins in muscle tissue are broken down for energy. With less muscle mass, the body’s metabolic rate slows, making it harder to burn calories efficiently. Over time, this contributes to overall weight gain and fat storage around the midsection.

Affects Blood Sugar Levels

Cortisol raises blood sugar by prompting the liver to release stored glucose. While this response is helpful during acute stress, persistent elevation can lead to insulin resistance. In turn, this impairs the body’s ability to process sugar effectively, resulting in increased fat storage, particularly in visceral fat deposits around the abdomen.

So, if you initially doubted that stress is truly to blame for your growing belly, the science leaves little room for doubt. But if cortisol belly is the culprit, what steps can you take to address it?

How Can You Lose Your Cortisol Belly?

From spending time in nature to regular exercise, there are plenty of lifestyle changes that can help lower cortisol levels and, in turn, support weight management. That said, as a supplement manufacturer, our focus is naturally on the supplements that can help you achieve similar results.

Ashwagandha 

Ashwagandha is far from a recent discovery when it comes to relieving stress. Native to India, this medicinal herb has been used for thousands of years for its adaptogenic properties and ability to enhance overall well-being.

Known for its remarkable ability to tame cortisol levels, ashwagandha is our number one recommendation for losing your cortisol belly. By working directly with the body’s stress-response system, it helps regulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, which controls the release of cortisol. In doing so, it successfully stops the stress signals from spiralling out of control. 

Studies have actually shown that ashwagandha can reduce cortisol levels by as much as 30%. 

 

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Beyond specifically targeting cortisol, ashwagandha also combats inflammation, which can be a sneaky driver of chronic cortisol elevation. By battling back against cortisol on all fronts, you’ll notice a reduction in abdominal fat in no time at all.

However, with ashwagandha having recently been banned in Denmark, there is every chance that the UK could very well be heading for a similar ban on this remarkable adaptogen at some point soon.

Rhodiola Rosea

Rhodiola Rosea is another adaptogen (you should’ve noticed a trend by now) and yet another versatile tool for managing stress.

By stabilising the HPA axis, keeping cortisol release balanced even in high-stress situations, and alleviating both mental and physical exhaustion, thereby eliminating a significant trigger for the cortisol cascade, Rhodiola Rosea supports your efforts to achieve the slim figure that cortisol is determined to deny you.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Every time a list of top supplements for a specific need is compiled, omega-3 fatty acids consistently make the cut.

Omega-3 fatty acids, notably EPA and DHA, are powerful allies in the fight against stress by helping to lower cortisol levels. These essential fats reduce inflammation, a key trigger for over activating the HPA axis, and also directly influence the HPA axis itself, preventing it from going into overdrive during stressful moments. 

Several studies have even shown that omega-3s can lower perceived stress, cutting off one of the primary drivers of cortisol surges.

Together, all of these mechanisms make omega-3s a cornerstone for reducing cortisol levels and consequently 

Magnesium

Magnesium is a powerhouse mineral that seems to do it all. With it being involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, it’s no wonder it’s made it onto this list.

Indeed, magnesium supports the regulation of the HPA axis, helping it manage stress without triggering excessive cortisol production. It serves as the perfect calming agent for your nervous system, reducing the excitatory signals that often cause stress-driven cortisol spikes.

As mentioned earlier, poor sleep is another common culprit of elevated cortisol, and, rather fortunately, magnesium lends a helping hand here too. By converting tryptophan into serotonin, and in turn enhancing melatonin production, magnesium helps promote deeper, more restorative rest, keeping your cortisol levels at bay.

With so many varieties of magnesium available, check out our comprehensive guide on the mineral to find the one that suits you best.

The Bottom Line

So, cortisol belly is a real thing. Put simply, it’s a result of prolonged stress, which disrupts your body’s hormonal balance and leads to stubborn fat around your midsection.

For those suffering from cortisol belly, supplements like ashwagandha, rhodiola rosea, omega-3 fatty acids and magnesium can help regulate cortisol levels and support weight loss efforts. However, it’s crucial to make lifestyle changes alongside taking these supplements. After all, the clue is in the name; they are meant to supplement other changes.