14/05/2026
One of the most common symptoms of chronically high cortisol(stress hormone) is an expanding waistline. Studies have shown that people who are stressed tend to crave sugar and high fat foods. These foods stimulate the production of insulin,the hormone that lowers your blood sugar,and this combination of high insulin and high cortisol levels causes fat to settle around your internal organs, resulting in abdominal obesity. Besides making it hard to button your pants,this belly fat is sometimes called "brown fat" because it looks and behaves differently from the other fat in your body,creating a lot of inflammation. And inflammation is a common underlying problem in all autoimmune diseases as well as other conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer. It is also very hard to get rid of this abdominal fat.
It's therefore important to manage your stress levels to better manage your cortisol hormone.
Practical ways to lower stress hormones naturally: • Sleep better
• Walk daily
• Strength train consistently
• Eat enough protein
• Reduce excessive caffeine
• Get sunlight and fresh air
• Manage stress instead of bottling it up