BYE-BYE STRESS BELLY

BREAKTHROUGH: Learn how to tap into the cortisol-balancing diet trend to shed fat—fast! Women are dropping 2 lbs a week and feeling calmer

- LISA MAXBAUER

For years, the stress hormone cortisol has been synonymous with belly fat. And as modern stressors multiply like dust bunnies, we're seeing the obesity epidemic worsen. Research in Biological Psychiatry finds that each added stressor in our life decreases our body's ability to burn 5 fewer calories per hour!

Now, low-cortisol diets are all the rage, with promises that “cortisol cocktails” will instantly flat-line stress levels and de-bloat the belly. But does this diet approach really lead to weight loss? We spoke to experts and learned the best nutrition and lifestyle strategies to outsmart the stress-fueled belly fat that piles on as we age.

The hormone cortisol, released by the adrenal glands, does more than pack on fat. It is important for a number of healthy functions. “I don’t like to demonize cortisol because it’s an essential hormone that rises in the morning to help us start our day and drives the fight-or-flight response, which can help us escape danger like a house fire or a coyote attack,” says acclaimed Yale-trained endocrinologist Florence Comite, M.D.

Problems occur when cortisol stays chronically high, triggered by emotional stress or physical stressors like menopause, insomnia or even restrictive dieting.

Chronically elevated cortisol levels “alter your system’s ability to metabolize glucose, or sugar,” says Dr. Comite. “Over time, high cortisol leads to weight gain, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and diabetes.” Data in the Journal of Obesity suggest that as cortisol levels climb, belly fat doubles.

How? We've hinted at how cortisol raises blood sugar to provide energy to handle perceived danger. But functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner Marina Wright, author of the upcoming book