Stress Increases Cortisol, Overproduction Harms Health
Cortisol, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands during stress, increases when the pituitary gland releases another hormone called adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
Humans experience a physiological reaction to stress as a built-in protection response to perceived threats from predators and other aggressors. While primitive dangers are now rare, people are still hard-wired to respond to threats which today generally means daily stress. Stress elicits a “flight or fight” reaction in the body.
This stress response varies in individuals and is similar to if a soldier stands guard, reacts to a threat, sees the threat isn't real and either relaxes or remains on alert. Chronic overwork, financial strain, lack of exercise, too little sleep, relationship problems, substance abuse, ill health, poor nutrition, any stress prompts cortisol production in the body and puts the body on alert.
Even a minor hassle like waiting in a long line can trigger the stress response which occurs when the hypothalamus, a tiny region at the base of the brain, sets off an alarm system in the body with a combination of nerve and hormonal signals. This alarm system prompts the adrenal glands, located atop the kidneys, to release a surge of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol.
During a real threat (e.g. the car swerves) the fight or flight alarm system is critical, but when the alert system doesn’t shut off as with chronic stress, a variety of health problems can occur, including heart disease, sleep problems, digestive problems, depression, obesity, memory impairment and skin conditions, such as eczema, that get worse.
Adrenaline increases the heart rate, elevates blood pressure and boosts energy supplies. As the primary stress hormone, cortisol increases sugars (glucose) in the bloodstream, improves the brain's use of glucose, and increases the availability of substances that repair tissues.
Cortisol also slows down functions that aren’t essential in a fight-or-flight situation, altering the immune system responses and suppressing the digestive system, the reproductive system and growth processes. This complex natural alarm system also communicates with regions of the brain that controls mood, motivation and fear.
Vitamin C Lowers Stress Response, Reduces Cortisol and Blood Pressure
In a 2002, German researchers found that subjects who received high-doses of sustained-release ascorbic acid (vitamin C) had lower blood pressure and cortisol, as well as lower subjective responses to acute psychological stress.
During the study, subjects received a 14 day trial of sustained release vitamin C and then were exposed to the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) which included public speaking and mental arithmetic tasks.
Compared to the placebo group, subjects who received the vitamin C had lower systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings and a lower subjective (self-reported) stress response to the TSST. In addition, the vitamin C subjects’ salivary cortisol response returned to normal more quickly than the placebo group, what researchers referred to as “cortisol recovery.”
Vitamin C is found abundantly in the adrenal glands, not surprisingly since it plays a key role in the stress response. According to Dr. James F. Balch, co-author of "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," vitamin C is crucial for the adrenal glands to properly function. Chronic stress and nervousness may deplete these glands, preventing them from releasing these chemicals into the bloodstream.
Psychology Todayin an article on vitamin C and stress, wrote that in “animal studies, vitamin C fed to rats undergoing stress not only prevented the expected increase in cortisol levels, it prevented the animals from exhibiting the known signs of physical and emotional stress, including loss of body weight. Animals that did not receive vitamin C had three times the level of stress hormones.”
Vitamin C Lowers Cortisol-Induced Ab Fat
ScienceDaily reported on a 2000 Yale study that found subjects who weren't overweight but were vulnerable to the effects of stress were more likely to have excess abdominal fat, and have higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Although prior studies examined cortisol’s role in overweight women, Yale’s was the first to show that lean women with abdominal fat have exaggerated responses to cortisol.
"Everyone is exposed to stress, but some people may secrete more cortisol than others, and may secrete cortisol each time they face the same stressor," said Elissa S. Epel, Ph.D., lead investigator on the Yale study. "We predicted that reacting to the same stressors consistently by secreting cortisol would be related to greater visceral fat," says Epel.
Cortisol affects how fat is distributed by causing fat to be stored centrally, around organs. Chronic cortisol production can increase visceral fat, the fat that surrounds the organs.
The researchers also found that the women with more abdominal fat had more negative moods and higher levels of stress. Greater exposure to life stress or being psychologically vulnerable to stress might explain a woman's enhanced cortisol reactivity and in turn, have caused greater abdominal fat.
"Genetics, however, also play a role in shaping reactivity to stress, as well as body shape," says Epel.
Vitamin C Dose to Reduce Stress
The current Recommend Daily Allowance (RDA) for vitamin C for adults is 60 milligrams, far less than the 1,000 mg used in the German stress study. Nutritionist Phyllis A. Balch, co-author of "Prescription for Nutritional Healing," recommends taking 3,000 to 10,000 mg per day.
Vitamin C is available in supplement form, and can also be derived from food sources such as citrus fruits, alfalfa, red clover, berries, sweet peppers and dark green, leafy vegetables. Dr. Phyllis Balch recommends 3,000 IU daily to manage the effects of nervousness and stress. However, you should check with your doctor before taking doses this high.
While a number of factors contribute to abdominal fat including genetics, gender, menopause and lifestyle, researchers have long known that stress elevates cortisol production which increases fat around the middle. Studies suggest that large doses of vitamin C may be useful to decrease cortisol production and subsequently, reduce abdominal fat.
Footnotes:
Balch, Phyllis A. "Prescription for Nutritional Healing." Fourth Edition (Penguin Books, 2006).
Brody S, Preut R, Schommer K, Schürmeyer TH. “A randomized controlled trial of high dose ascorbic acid for reduction of blood pressure, cortisol, and subjective responses to psychological stress.” Psychopharmacology (Berlin). 2002 Jan.
"Vitamin C: Stress Buster." PsychologyToday, April 25, 2003. www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200304/vitamin-c-stress-buster
Yale University. "Stress May Cause Excess Abdominal Fat In Otherwise Slender Women, Study Conducted At Yale Shows." ScienceDaily 23 November 2000. 9 March 2011 www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2000/11/001120072314.htm
Laura Owens - Laura Owens has a B.S. in Psychology from Rollins College & U of FL. She is a freelance writer with expertise in motivation & wellness.
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