Hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on worthless supplements that claim to promote weight loss by reducing stress and/or cortisol. Consumers can be easily confused since advertisements cite reliable references that confirm and explain how increased stress or cortisol can increase abdominal fat deposits. For example, Cushing’s syndrome is characterized by a persistent increase in cortisol levels and abdominal obesity. But when the cause of the elevated cortisol is removed, the excess abdominal fat deposits also disappear. Chronically stressed primates that have increased cortisol also develop abdominal obesity and laboratory studies confirm a clear correlation between cortisol levels and the deposition of deep abdominal fat. A study of stressed out middle-aged Swedish men similarly showed that those with the highest cortisol levels also had the biggest beer bellies. Stress can also contribute to “middle aged spread” because many such individuals find that chocolates, cook...
e-Pharmatimes- "Protecting Ideas, Advancing Healthcare: A Pharma Blog"