Stop us if you've heard this one before: stress causes belly fat [1]. Or how about this one: stress makes you gain weight [2]. It's not just the stress eating that's the culprit, either. In fact, there's a chemical behind those mystery pounds in your midsection — and it's yet another major reason [3] to get to the root cause of your stress [4] and eliminate it.
"Stress releases a hormone called cortisol," Erica Patel, MD, of the University of Southern California, told POPSUGAR. "[The release of cortisol] causes high blood sugar levels by promoting the breakdown of protein stores into glucose to be used as fuel. Over time, persistently high levels of cortisol [5] seen in stress promote the storage of excess glucose as fat in the abdomen, causing belly fat."
While cortisol is typically the culprit in the creation and retention of stress-induced belly fat [7], it can also come from a stressed thyroid. "Stress can affect our master gland, the thyroid gland," said Habib Sadeghi, DO, author of The Clarity Cleanse. "Down-regulation [or suppression] of thyroid function can contribute to accumulation of adipose tissue [or fat] around the body, including the abdominal area."
So now that you know stress spikes your cortisol and suppresses your thyroid function — both potentially leading to fat gain and retention — let's practice a little self-care [8], shall we?