Cortisol is one of the stress hormones that is produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress. Stress increases cortisol levels which can be a good or a bad thing. Cortisol is needed in the body to maintain certain physiological processes during time of stress. Without it the body would be unable to respond to stress effectively.
The functions of cortisol are also important to control mood and well-being, immune cells and inflammation, blood vessels and blood pressure, and to maintain connective tissues like bones, muscles and skin.
With effective cortisol metabolism during the ‘fight or flight’ mechanism we can either run away or fight, because cortisol secretion releases amino acids from the muscles, glucose from the liver and fatty acids from adipose tissue in the blood stream to use for energy. So cortisol is good.
Cortisol-like drugs help with inflammations and certain skin diseases because of its anti-inflammatory and immune-suppressing properties.
When we encounter a stressor, either in a physical or psychological senses, the endocrine system tries to set things right by the coordinated actions of the pituitary and hypothalamus in the brain and the two adrenal glands in the kidney. These hormonal signals involve the epinephrine (adrenaline), norepinephrine, cortisol and numerous intermediary hormones to interact to help regulate important aspects of physiology, like cardiovascular function, energy metabolism, immune-system activity and brain chemistry.
Generally speaking, cortisol turns ‘bad’ when you either have too much of it, or you’re exposed to it on a regular basis.
Unfortunately many people’s adrenal stress response overreacts by secreting too much cortisol. Cortisol stimulates certain metabolic processes that increase concentrations of glucose in the blood. These metabolic effects are:
- stimulation of gluconeogenesis, that converts amino acids into glucose,
- mobilization of amino acids from the muscle tissue, so that it can provide the ‘material’ for gluconeogenesis,
- inhibition of glucose uptake in muscle and adipose tissue, which increases the blood glucose levels even more,
- and stimulation of fat breakdown in adipose tissue.
Unfortunately the fatty acids that are released by the fat breakdown (lipolysis) reduces the cellular sensitivity to insulin.
Back in the caveman days when a stressor was a tiger or other predator, the stress response was a vital survival technique:
- a brief increase of energy levels,
- and hormone levels,
- and the ability for forceful muscle contractions: the fight or flight mechanism.
Unfortunately nowadays, when we face a stressor, like a deadline at work, or a traffic jam, our bodies undergo the same metabolic stress changes, which leads us to increased disease risks.
