Got Guts? You May Have Too Much Cortisol
By Patricia Lynden
HealthSCOUT Reporter


FRIDAY, Sept. 22 (HealthSCOUT) -- Fret, smoke, drink, be a couch potato. What'll happen? You'll get fat -- but not only in the obvious places. You'll also get fat in your viscera -- around your internal organs. And that's dangerous.

Visceral fat, which shows up in your waistline whether you're fat or thin, is a sign that your lifestyle is getting out of hand.

It means that cortisol, the so-called stress hormone circulating in your body, has gone into over production, and that you are at increased risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and diabetes, among other diseases, says a new study published in the September/October issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

"The only thing that can decrease visceral fat is exercise," says lead study author Elissa Epel, a post doctoral scholar at the University of California-San Francisco's Health Psychology Program.

Epel theorizes that nothing else works because, as we evolved over the eons, cortisol became the hormone that protected us during stress or danger, giving us the physical energy and strength to flee.

"During severe stress, cortisol increases dramatically. It causes blood sugar to go into the muscles so you can run from the danger. Immunity can also be increased during acute stress," Epel says. And, about 20 minutes after a high-stress episode, she says the cortisol suppresses immunity, preventing an autoimmune disorder.

"But these days we don't need to run, and our stress is psychological. And we tend to be exposed to more cortisol that we're not using or burning off with physical activity like running from danger. So we sit with it," says Epel.

Too much cortisol makes you vulnerable to infection and major disease, and can also cause the brain's hippocampus areas to atrophy, impairing memory and the ability to learn, she says.

Not everyone agrees with her theory. "I don't buy that exercise by virtue of lowering cortisol will decrease visceral fat," says endocrinologist Dr. Jeffrey I. Mechanick, an associate clinical professor of medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. "At least it hasn't been proven."

But he does agree that visceral fat puts people at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

And he does agree that exercise, combined with a healthy, reducing diet, will reduce visceral fat.

"That would be your first approach," says Mechanick. If that doesn't work, visceral fat should be dealt with by a physician, perhaps with drugs.

Epel says the signs are in the waistline: "It's not that 'pinch-an-inch' fat that you can feel. It's actually underneath the stomach muscle" and only a CT scan or an MRI can tell for sure if you've got visceral fat, though a bulging stomach is a good indication that it's there.

While getting rid of visceral fat with exercise is simple, Epel says it may not be easy: "We're talking about lifestyle changes."

What To Do

Exercise must be regular, daily and aerobic, says Epel. Sit ups to flatten the abdominal muscles won't work, she says. If you're not sure how to get started, talk to your doctor or a fitness expert.

She says sleep deprivation is another big source of stress that increases cortisol output and causes visceral fat.

To get started with an exercise program, check the American Heart Association's Just Move site, and The American Council on Exercise.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/hsn/20...cortisol_1.html