Stress triggers the production of the hormone cortisol, which can leave us in a constant state of alert or that “fight or flight” feeling. “In appropriate amounts, cortisol regulates almost every system in our body, including mood, metabolism, immune function, memory, and cognition,” says Kibby McMahon, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist and co-host of the podcast A Little Help For Our Friends. “However, cortisol can have damaging effects on all these systems if levels stay elevated for long periods of time.” One of the most prominent side effects of prolonged high cortisol levels is weight gain, explains Davis, specifically visceral fat. “This is the fat that encircles the organs, intestines, and liver, and is inflammatory fat,” he says. “Visceral fat leads to insulin resistance and contributes to diseases like high blood pressure, coronary disease, and type 2 diabetes.” Cortisol can also weaken the activity of certain cells linked to the immune system, says Heather Moday, M.D., an immunologist, functional medicine practitioner, and author of The Immunotype Breakthrough. This lowers the production of antibodies and can weaken the body’s immune response over time. “All of us have some degree of intestinal permeability. Because the GI tract is semi-permeable, things get in and out all the time,” he explains. “But when cortisol is high, that degree of permeability gets higher. When that happens, bacterial breakdown products enter the bloodstream causing inflammation, insulin resistance, and stimulates the release of more cortisol.” There are a few foods and ingredients that can help slow this process down. They are: You can find Lactobacillus reuteri in fermented foods such as sauerkraut and kimchi. These bites are sources of many beneficial microbes that can rebuild the intestinal barrier, says Davis. “Getting that microbiome back into shape will greatly decrease cortisol,” he says.
