"Circulating cortisol" refers to the movement or flow of a hormone called cortisol throughout the body. It suggests that cortisol is present and being transported in the bloodstream, playing a role in various bodily functions and responses to stress.
Full definition
One major reason (aside from quantity) that relying on food alone may not cut it is if high levels
of circulating cortisol has compromised your digestive tract, which it typically does.
Low adrenal can actually cause someone's thyroid problem to be much worse than it would be otherwise, and this occurs primarily due to the decreasing amount
of circulating cortisol.
Clinica Chimica Acta 65, no. 3 (1975): 251 - 255; Peters, E. M., et al. «Vitamin C supplementation attenuates the increases
in circulating cortisol, adrenaline and anti-inflammatory polypeptides following ultramarathon running.»
Hypothyroid patients have reduced cortisol clearance, and the constantly elevated levels of
circulating cortisol mimic the condition of an animal in a constant state of stress, as well as suppressing TSH production and thereby further reducing T4 and T3 levels.
Direct physical benefits of stress reduction include
lowering circulating cortisol levels, which have a negative effect on animals» immune systems and their ability to fight off infection.
[5] EM Peters, et al. «Vitamin C supplementation attenuates the increases
in circulating cortisol, adrenaline and anti-inflammatory polypeptides following ultramarathon running.»
Hypothyroid patients have reduced cortisol clearance, and the constantly elevated levels or
circulating cortisol mimic the condition of an animal in a constant state of stress, as well as suppressed TSH output and production of thyroid hormones.
The brain takes its signals from the amount
of circulating cortisol — not circulating aldosterone — so high cortisol tends to lower the brain's ACTH production, which in turn decreases aldosterone secretion, leading to lower blood pressure.
The enzyme is usually present in high levels in the placenta to protect the fetus from the mother's
circulating cortisol.
Various studies have shown that taking vitamin C has greatly decreased
the circulating cortisol found during and after finishing endurance training or while under a stressful situation like public speaking.
Circulating cortisol will keep blood sugar high and can contribute to inflammation and hurt your immune system.
Higher and more prolonged levels of
circulating cortisol (like those associated with chronic stress) have been shown to have negative effects, such as:
Chronically lower levels of
circulating cortisol (as in adrenal fatigue) have been associated with negative effects, such as: