The Truth About Cortisol Blockers!

Posted on January 22, 2008

» Filed Under Supplements |


Lately there have been several dietary supplements that have been released to the weight loss / bodybuilding market that claims to block a hormone within the body called cortisol. Claims are made that cortisol is a primary factor in holding onto or increasing body fat, especially around the midsection. Cortisol is also a hormone that those focusing on muscle building know can fight against one’s goals because this hormone also breaks down muscle mass. So, of course, many come to the conclusion that cortisol can be our enemy, and any natural supplement that can be purchased at the local store that lowers this chemical would be a good thing.

However, many of these so-called cortisol reducers / blockers in all reality do not do what they claim. First off, the whole link between cortisol and fat gain originates from a study done back in 1980 in where the researchers made a connection between high levels of cortisol in the subjects urine and the percentage of body fat gain on them.

They noticed that the higher the level of cortisol in the urine found, the higher the body fat gain. So, of course, they presumed that there must be some type of relation. However, there are absolutely no studies whatsoever that have conclusively demonstrated that the higher the amount of cortisol in the blood, not the urine, the higher the amount of body fat that’s gained.

There’s a very big difference between finding a hormone in the blood and finding it in the urine. It is within the blood where a substance truly matters, since it is via blood that the hormone is transferred to different body tissues, such as muscle mass, not within urine. So, in all reality, this one 1980 study really has no real world application to us today in regards to making a connection between cortisol, body fat, and / or building muscle within urine.

Yes, high levels of cortisol within the blood wouldn’t be a good thing if building muscle is your goal, but, once again, these hyped up supplements are basing their claims on, first of all, only one study that was conducted almost 30 years ago, and on information that has no relevancy to what’s being claimed (cortisol within urine, not blood).

You are better off focusing your efforts on how you eat and weight train than finding some cortisol blocker that is doubtful at best. Too many times we want to look for any edge we can get in helping us reach our weight loss / muscle building goals, and end up wasting time, money, and energy on things that not only are a distraction, but in fact worthless, as is the case with many dietary supplements out on the market that prey on the hopes and frustrations of millions.

If you enjoyed the bodybuilding supplement-exposing material you just read in this article, you can check out more just like it, written by Cleveland Firefighter Jonathan Perez, at: http://www.muscle-weight-gain.com/beware-of-those-before-after-supplement-ads-pt-5/

Article Author :Jonathan_Perez


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