4
ADRENAL GLANDS
Meanwhile, ACTH has appeared
in your adrenal glands, opening
the hormonal floodgates so that
adrenaline, noradrenaline and cortisol
pour into your body. These stress
hormones prime your muscles, tax
your lung function and pause all
nonessential operations in order
to conserve and focus resources.
Eventually, daily exposure to cortisol
makes you less sensitive to its effects.6
VISCERAL FAT
Your adrenal glands require extra
energy to keep pumping out
stress hormones, so your body creates
a reserve by packing fat around nearby
organs. These stores of visceral fat
will soon start to release even more
inflammatory molecules. Next up: a heart
attack by way of insulin resistance and
elevated LDL cholesterol.5
IMMUNE SYSTEM
Since your body doesn’t know
if it’s facing a lion or lymphoma,
infection-fighting white blood cells begin
circulating, along with a commensurate
a m o u n t of c o r ti s o l to ke e p th e i r n u m b e r s
i n c h e c k. B u t yo u r d e l ay i n g ways m ay
leave you resistant to cortisol, allowing
rampaging white blood cells to cause
damaging inflammation.APRIL 2016^105HEALTH