Can anyone give me nutritional methodologies that have worked for them, or others in reducing Coritol levels?
All productive responses are welcome!
Odds are you already know this and this isnt actually nutritional, but if your workouts go over 45 min then cortisol levels begin to increase and testosterone decreases so…
whether that helps i dont know but i figured id say it anyway.
Phosphatidyl Serine works really well and is a great overall brain supplement. Proper post workout nutrition is a must for controlling cortisol as well as a good breakfast with the right blend of carbs and protein. Controlling blood sugar and insulin levels is important too. When you spike blood sugar it eventually falls to low levels which can trigger cortisol if you don’t eat another meal to help regulate it. That’s one reason why we eat 6-8 meals per day.
A quick search retrieved the following, no personal endorsement/opinion from me, please just take it as one piece of the total picture in a very complex equation of hormone balancing. It is by no means clear that suppression of the cortisol/HPA axis response would necessarily be of benefit to muscle growth. Push down one element in the system and it pushes up another.
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2002 Jan;159(3):319-24. Epub 2001 Nov 20
Brody S, Preut R, Schommer K, Schurmeyer TH.
Center for psychomatic and Psychobiological Research, University of Trier, Trier, Germany. stuartbrody@hotmail.com
RATIONALE: Physiological responses to stress are considered disruptive to health. High-dose ascorbic acid has reduced indices of stress in laboratory animals. METHODS: We conducted a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled 14-day trial of sustained-release ascorbic acid (60 healthy young adults; 3 x1000 mg/day Cetebe) and placebo (60 healthy young adults) for reduction of blood pressure, cortisol, and subjective response to acute psychological stress (Trier Social Stress Test, TSST, consisting of public speaking and mental arithmetic). Six subjects from each group were excluded. RESULTS: Compared to the placebo group, the ascorbic acid group had less systolic blood pressure (an increase of 23 versus 31 mmHg), diastolic blood pressure, and subjective stress responses to the TSST; and also had faster salivary cortisol recovery (but not smaller overall cortisol response). Cortisol response to 1 microg ACTH, and reported side-effects during the trial did not differ between groups. Plasma ascorbic acid level at the end of the trial but not pre-trial was associated with reduced stress reactivity of systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and subjective stress, and with greater salivary cortisol recovery. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with high-dose sustained-release ascorbic acid palliates blood pressure, cortisol, and subjective response to acute psychological stress. These effects are not attributable to modification of adrenal responsiveness.
From Lonnie’s Blog:
And in the COOL STUDY DEPARTMENT: French researchers have shown that 3 weeks of supplementation with 7.2 g/day fish oil reduces the adrenal glands’ response to mental stress - notably cortisol! (Diabetes Metab. 2003 Jun;29(3):289-95) Apparently effects are exerted at the level of the central nervous system. Got a stressful job or girlfriend? Or how about a damn unreliable coffee shop hotspot?!
I think that ChinaDoll had a thread on this a few weeks back but I could be wrong, it got pretty lengthy maybe she could hop in a sum some of it up.
The easiest thing to do to limit cortisol is to limit stress.
Outstanding replys from eveyone of you! thank you all very much.
If anyone else wants to jump in it will be appreciated.
Zeb
ZEB,
I had the same question about 18 months ago and ended up using Phosphatidylserine. At the time, the research showed that this would assist in keeping cortisol in check. I do not remember the amount that I was dosing, but it was what recommended research showed. I did not notice any difference from using it over 2+ months. If you are interested in what amount I was taking I can go back and find it, but it didn’t appear to have any affect for me.
T-Bone2
ZEB-
Do you know for sure that this hormone is stopping/impeeding gains for you? If not, I would not try to regulate it beyond a sound diet and exercise program. Your body needs to have anabolic/catabolic hormones for you to function properly.
Without resorting to a darn supplement for everything under the sun these days, your pre-workout and post-workout meals will be the biggest factor for controlling this naturally, without blocking it.
Therefore, make sure you are consuming a good liquid whey + dextrose shake right as you are hitting your first set. And, if you can afford it, another small one in the middle of your workout as well, will keep cort at bay.
I’m not going to say that I actually measured my cort levels… 99% of successful body builders don’t worry about it, because of sound nutrition. Post-workout, again hit the whey and dex. Make sure you are ingesting whey and dex due to their rapid absorption. Casein and egg will take longer to breakdown, so they are not a good pre/post protein. Whey and dex can be in your blood in minutes, bringing down cort levels immediately.
Further on limiting cort levels, I have read that some natural body builders recommend periodically fasting for 6-8 hours once in a while on purpose. Why - limited fasting does elevate some cortisol, but more important than that, T-levels have been shown to increase during a limited fast! Why - your body resorts to survival mode and kicks in the T to help “keep the machine moving”. You can manipule this through under and over-feeding as well.
Long story short - it’s in your pre/post-workout nutrition, not a bottle!!!
ZEB-
“Ihategymmorons” and “Whitefire” also are on the right track! Get in and out of the gym in 30-50 mintes. If you have that shake mid-workout, you can extend it a bit longer.
I don’t really get the 6-8 hour fast thing??? What’s the big deal with this? Don’t we pretty much do this every night when we go to sleep? Are these guys doing it in the middle of the day? I don’t see any rationale behind it and I think the downsides outweigh the small T increase. Just my opinion.