Cortisol: The Internet's Favorite C-Word

Cortisol has become the wellness world’s favorite scapegoat: blamed for belly fat, fatigue, poor sleep, training plateaus, and basically every difficult season of life. In this episode, we unpack what cortisol actually does, why acute rises with exercise, food, waking, fasting, and stress are often normal, and when cortisol patterns may genuinely reflect chronic dysregulation or clinical concern. We also discuss under-fueling, sleep restriction, training load, caffeine, cortisol testing, “adrenal support” marketing, and why the better question is usually not “How do I lower cortisol?” but “How do I manage my overall stress load?”. Cortisol is not the villain. Bad explanations are.  This episode is sponsored by MacroFactor, a premium nutrition app that combines fast food logging with adaptive nutrition coaching.MacroFactor uses logged nutrition intake and body weight data to estimate energy expenditure over time, then adjusts calorie and macro targets through weekly check-ins based on your goals and progress. It also includes detailed macro and micronutrient tracking, weight trend data, and an adherence-neutral approach that does not punish you for going over or under your targets.Use code LABRAT for a 14-day free trial.MacroFactor link: https://app.macrofactor.com/mflabratFollow US on IG:  https://www.instagram.com/labratradiopod/  Emily's IG: https://www.instagram.com/dremilydow/  Nathan's IG:  https://www.instagram.com/drnathanjenkins/