Hey all, I keep hearing a lot of folks talk about Cortisol, in regards to many health issues. I admit I’ve not paid enough attention and went to know more. Most threads about it are a few years old.
Hoping to start a conversation here and learn more….
The basics are that cortisol is a hormone released as a result of stress. It stimulates the release of adrenaline and causes the serum glucose to rise, among other things. I’m sure other forum members can tell you far more about its effects.
An occasional bout of acute stress is fine for the body, even helpful. It’s long-term chronic stress that causes damage.
I’ve only had one cortisol test, and it indicated a high value. I’ve heard some theorize that ketosis causes high cortisol, but that doesn’t make much sense to me.
Cortisol is supposed to be involved with dawn phenomenon, so if you had an early fasting blood draw, that would make sense.
On the other hand, I get an adrenaline reaction from simply walking into the doctor’s office, so I’m sure that my cortisol would be high in any blood draw, lol!
I do know that chronic high levels of cortisol will wreck havoc on one’s health. Addressing constant stress in life is very important. There are also some adaptogenic herbs that may be helpful…ashwaganda and rhodiola are just two of them.
There’s a whole lot more to cortisol than one might first assume. Stress is just one component.
From Wikipedia entry on “cortisol” (with source citations throughout original):
[Cortisol] is released with a diurnal cycle and its release is increased in response to stress and low blood-glucose concentration. It functions to increase blood sugar through gluconeogenesis, to suppress the immune system, and to aid in the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. It also decreases bone formation.
@SomeGuy…. “ its release is increased in response to stress and low blood-glucose concentration. It functions to increase blood sugar through gluconeogenesis, to suppress the immune system, and to aid in the metabolism of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. It also decreases bone formation.
So… is this indicating that low blood glucose… (which is good, right? And accompanies keto/carnivore, right?) can be a problem?
I realize I probably just said something incredibly naive. Feel free to roll your eyes. But type slowly and loudly and I may get it. 
Low blood glucose is when it’s dangerously low, and it’s more commonly called hypoglycemia.
You can become shaky and tired, dizzy, lightheaded, get heart palpitations, have a headache - and in worst case scenarios, you can lose consciousness or have a seizure. It’s why it’s dangerous if diabetics accidentally mismanage their insulin.
Low blood glucose is subtly different to lowered blood glucose; lowered blood glucose is more what you’d expect on keto and is what you’re thinking of.
I would imagine it’s low serum glucose in the absence of enough ketones to keep the brain going, that would be a cortisol-worthy problem. With abundant ketones in the blood, there doesn’t seem to be this response (though I don’t know whether anyone has actually looked to verify this).
Yes, I think you’re right.
I reflected the other day about how I kept having bouts - at least once a month - of what seemed like non-diabetic hypoglycemia (that I now think were medication induced).
Since going keto/carnivore, I haven’t had a single episode.
Although “low” and “lowered” blood sugar are a matter of degree and duration, what @Septimius said above is certainly relevant.
I think our definition of a “problem” in this case might warrant some clarification…
If your blood sugar is too low, yes, you’ll suffer from those symptoms of hypoglycemia. And a healthy hormonal response is for your body to release cortisol … to promote gluconeogenesis and raise your serum glucose.
That would be one of those (potentially life-saving) cortisol releases - like ones that come with stress in the face of a tiger chasing you around - that are not a problem. They are (hopefully) a solution.
Perhaps this helps?
I did a home test. You put drops of blood on a card and mail it in. The test info recommended a morning test before coffee, shortly after waking up.
I think cortisol is probably tough to measure. Let’s say it mimicks the dawn phenomenon. If that’s the case, then my cortisol would always be higher in the morning. Not sure how relevant such a test is.
I took cortisol because it came with testosterone and vitamin D in one test kit.