What is Cortisol? The Stress Hormone That’s Affecting Your Health Stress affects nearly every process in our body. Long-term stress leads to serious health problems like anxiety, depression, heart disease and neurodegeneration. The culprit behind these systemic problems is cortisol – a powerful hormone that controls our body’s stress response. Cortisol is a glucocorticoid hormone that our adrenal glands produce. It serves as the body’s main stress hormone. The real trouble starts when stress becomes chronic. High cortisol levels can cause weight gain, high blood pressure, and increase the risk of type 2 diabetes. Your body’s stress response system stays constantly active with sustained high cortisol, which often results in lasting heart problems and obesity. This detailed piece explains cortisol’s functions, its role in your body, and practical steps to keep your cortisol levels healthy. You’ll learn about everything you need to improve your overall health. Book a Free Consult What Does Cortisol Do in Your Body? “Stress makes a person fat primarily because of an excessive secretion of the key stress hormone, cortisol, along with a reduced secretion of key anabolic hormones, such as DHEA, testosterone, and growth hormone. This combination of highly catabolic cortisol and reduced anabolic hormones