# Cortisol Category: Hormones Cortisol, for example, inhibits the conversion of T4 to T3, which is responsible for the respiratory production of energy and carbon dioxide. 10 passages · 3 authors · 2008–2023 · Most-cited: [Ray Peat](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/voices/ray-peat/index.md) Canonical page: https://bioenergeticoracle.com/concepts/cortisol ## Synthesis **Cortisol** is a **glucocorticoid** hormone whose central function, as Ray Peat described it, is to *turn protein to sugar* under stress, a catabolic process that breaks down muscle, skin, and thymus tissue to provide glucose via gluconeogenesis. [Source 4, 5] Peat argued that while this emergency adaptation is protective in acute crises, its chronic elevation is inseparable from *low metabolic rate* and a deficiency of the protective steroids **pregnenolone**, **progesterone**, and **DHEA**, which are the main opponents of cortisol. [Source 3, 6] When thyroid function is efficient, cholesterol is converted massively into these stabilizing steroids; without them, the body resorts to cortisol as its next best adaptive procedure, spending the organism rapidly to survive. [Source 3, 6] Peat situated cortisol within Hans Selye's framework, where each steroid has a curve of overlapping functions, and he emphasized that cortisol's anti-inflammatory reputation is merely a *side effect* of its broader catabolic, anti-anabolic nature. [Source 4] It directly opposes the anabolic and protective effects of androgens like **testosterone**, which concentrates intensely in the heart and brain to shield vital organs. [Source 2, 4] A large dose of cortisol slumps protective progesterone and testosterone, causing tissues that are not well-protected to shrink rapidly; skin thins, blood vessels weaken, and easy bruising occurs, a process that over years leads to strokes, osteoporosis, and typical aging conditions. [Source 2] Peat noted that cortisol also blocks the liver enzymes that convert thyroxine into the active T3 hormone, further suppressing metabolism. [Source 6] Danny Roddy has summarized that cortisol is released from the adrenal glands to break down protein into amino acids for glucose, and that the liberated amino acids **tryptophan**, **methionine**, and **cysteine** can themselves suppress the metabolic rate. [Source 5] He noted that excess cortisol initially feels good due to its anti-inflammatory and euphoric properties, but overtime causes muscle wasting, immunity depression from thymus destruction, and sexual and mood problems. [Source 5] Georgi Dinkov has extended this by detailing a **glucocorticoid rebound effect**, where cortisol simultaneously inhibits inflammatory enzymes like cyclooxygenase while up-regulating their genetic expression, so that upon cessation, inflammatory prostaglandin and serotonin production overshoots baseline, making the organism worse than before treatment. [Source 8] Dinkov also highlighted that serotonin is the most potent central controller of cortisol production via the 5-HT2C receptor, meaning that elevated serotonin directly stimulates cortisol synthesis and release. [Source 9] Peat identified that practically everything harmful—including **estrogen**, which he called a shock hormone—increases both estrogen and cortisol, while the first barrier to harm is the group of steroids: pregnenolone, progesterone, DHEA, and testosterone. [Source 1] He recommended supporting oxidative metabolism and thyroid function so that cholesterol can be converted into these protective hormones, along with adequate protein, **Vitamin A**, and **Vitamin D** to block and reverse cortisol's effects. [Source 3] Dinkov has warned that stressing the organism to lose weight through fasting or excessive exercise up-regulates cortisol synthesis peripherally, creating a machinery that produces even more cortisol, which is itself obesogenic, blocking the insulin receptor and increasing fatty acid synthase activity. [Source 7] Roddy notes that simple interventions like eating enough carbohydrate and salt can help get a hold of cortisol. [Source 10] ## People also ask ### How does cortisol break down tissues to raise blood sugar? Peat described cortisol as a catabolic hormone that converts protein from muscle, skin, and thymus tissue into glucose through gluconeogenesis, an emergency adaptation to provide fuel under stress. ### Why did Peat consider chronic cortisol elevation a sign of low metabolism? Peat argued that when thyroid function is efficient, cholesterol is converted into protective steroids like pregnenolone and progesterone; without them, the body resorts to cortisol, which further suppresses metabolism by blocking the conversion of thyroxine into active T3. ### What is the glucocorticoid rebound effect described in the corpus? Georgi Dinkov detailed that cortisol simultaneously inhibits inflammatory enzymes while up-regulating their genetic expression, so when cortisol levels drop, inflammatory prostaglandin and serotonin production overshoots baseline, leaving the organism worse off. ## Related concepts - [Adrenaline](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/adrenaline/index.md) - [Aldosterone](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/aldosterone/index.md) - [ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate)](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/atp-adenosine-triphosphate/index.md) - [Beef](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/beef/index.md) - [Cellular respiration](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/cellular-respiration/index.md) - [Dopamine](https://bioenergeticoracle.com/md/concepts/dopamine/index.md) ## Cited passages Passage numbers match the `[Source N]` markers in the synthesis above. ### Source 1 — Jodellefit: Cortisol, Low Testosterone Ray Peat · Interview · Jun 1, 2019 > **Jodelle Fitzwater:** I am pleased to have Dr. Peat on with me again today. For those of you who have not familiarized yourself yet with Ray Peat, you can check him out at RayPeat.com. We're going to be talking today about testosterone and high cortisol. I wanted to touch on this because I am seeing a lot of clients coming in with their blood work showing too high of cortisol and too low of testosterone—even women. I think it's a pretty important topic. Dr. Peat, how long have you been learning and teaching on this? > > **Ray Peat:** Altogether as early as 1960, when I was doing it independently. Then I concentrated on the hormones between 1968 and 1972, when I got my PhD. > > **Jodelle Fitzwater:** I know you've taught at numerous schools, including the University of Oregon, Urbana College, Montana State University, the National College of Naturopathic Medicine, and internationally in Mexico. I consider you the leading authority based on everyone I've looked into over the years. I want to talk specifically about this tag team of symptoms: low testosterone and high cortisol. Could you talk about why cortisol is so high in so many people right now and the sex hormones are down? ### Source 2 — Endocrinology Part 3 — KMUD, 2017 Ray Peat · Interview · 2017 > **Andrew Murray:** Towards the oestrogenic side? > > **Ray Peat:** Well, the corticoids activate the proteolytic enzymes that break down the proteins, and inhibit the anabolic, protein-synthesizing mechanisms. The brain, heart and lungs are very concentrated testosterone metabolisers and retainers. If you give someone radioactive testosterone, you see the emission from those organs, most of it from the heart and brain (the lungs are so full or air, you [can’t] see much radiation); but the testosterone is there, protecting these vital organs. But when you give a big dose of cortisol, you slump that protective effective progesterone and testosterone; and the tissues that aren’t very well protected very quickly shrink; your skin becomes thinner, blood vessels weaken, you tend to get little bloody spots, particularly haemorrhages, and bruise very easily. Lots of women have constantly bruised thighs, and sometimes upper arms, because when they are low in thyroid and progesterone, they compensate with increased cortisol, which weakens their small blood vessels, and they bruise easily. If that continues over the years, it leads to strokes, osteoporosis, and the typical ageing conditions. ### Source 3 — Ask the Herb Doctor: Pollution Ray Peat · Interview · May 17, 2019 > ## Caller: High Cortisol > > **Caller:** There is new research about highly sensitive personalities and excess cortisol. What do you think about people who live with gushers of cortisol day-to-day? > > **Ray Peat:** There are lots of things you can do, starting with oxidative metabolism and preserving thyroid function. When your thyroid is functioning efficiently, you can turn your cholesterol fairly massively into pregnenolone, progesterone, and DHEA, which are the main opponents of cortisol. Cortisol stops inflammation, but it activates degenerative breakdown processes when it isn't backed up by large amounts of these three anti-inflammatory, stabilizing steroids. Adequate protein, Vitamin A, and Vitamin D help you do the conversion to block and reverse the effects of cortisol. ### Source 4 — Politics And Science: Diabetes 2000-2001 Ray Peat · Interview · Jul 26, 2013 > **Ray Peat:** Thanks, Jim. Hans Selye in his encyclopedia of steroids summarized the tests of the different steroids and he showed that each steroid has a curve like an upside down V that its peak is what people talk about as its main function, but the shoulders of the curve overlap with other steroids. And he showed that the anabolic and androgenic functions were closely related. The estrogenic functions were anti-anabolic and anti-androgenic. The progesterone category was anti-estrogenic and anti-androgenic, and also anti-glucocorticoids, or anti-cortisol. And the glucocorticoids, or the cortisol-type hormones, were anti-anabolic and anti... androgenic to some degree, but primarily they are a catabolic type of hormone that if you think of it as opposing the anabolic effects of the so-called androgens, that's probably the the focus of what cortisol really is. And as having its anti-functions of the other hormones, some of the other hormones have pro-inflammatory functions, such as estrogen. And so the shoulders of this catabolic cortisol function happen to have a lot of other functions so that people think of it as an anti-inflammatory hormone, but that's just one of its sort of side effects. And the problem of naming hormones has led to a lot of complications. People tend to name it in terms of a function rather than where it comes from. said that we should talk about hormones in terms of either their structure or where they come from because they have so many functions. But turning protein to sugar is close to the essence of what the glucocorticoids do. They're called that because of their sugar-raising function. And sugar then has the... anti-inflammatory functions. And so the connection of sugar to, of cortisone to diabetes relates to its central function, which is to handle stress by feeding the organism. It will turn primarily muscles to some extent skin and then liver into sugar when you're under stress. ### Source 5 — The Peat Whisperer Danny Roddy · Book · 2012 > ### Cortisol > > **Danny Roddy:** Cortisol's main function is to provide glucose at the expense of protein during stress. Cortisol breaks down muscles as well as the thymus gland ("immunity central") into amino acids to be converted in the liver into glucose via gluconeogenesis. Muscle tissue contains large amounts of the amino acids tryptophan, methionine, and cysteine. When these amino acids are liberated during stress they can suppress the metabolic rate.17 The physiological effects of excess cortisol can be misleading. Excess cortisol makes one feel good at first, possibly because of its anti-inflammatory properties and ability to promote euphoria.18 Overtime, however, excess cortisol causes excessive muscle wasting, depresses immunity (from chronic destruction of the thymus gland), and leads to other sexual and mood problems. ### Source 6 — Politics & Science: Thyroid and Regeneration Ray Peat · Interview · Sep 11, 2008 · http://www.l-i-g-h-t.com/files/politics-science-thyroid-and-regeneration.mp4 > ## Cortisol and Stress > > **John Barkhausen:** So when they say strokes are caused by high cholesterol, it's actually that you're just hypothyroid and your metabolism isn't functioning. > > **Ray Peat:** And when you can't make the protective adaptive steroids such as progesterone and DHEA out of the cholesterol, your body does its next best adaptive procedure, which is to increase the cortisol. The chronic elevation of cortisol, which is associated with high cholesterol and low thyroid, is one of the toxic effects you see in people with high cholesterol. The chronic exposure to excess cortisol weakens blood vessels and promotes bleeding, but it also can promote clotting, osteoporosis, and various tissue degenerative processes. > > **John Barkhausen:** But cortisol also has a positive purpose, doesn't it? > > **Ray Peat:** It protects you. If you don't have enough pregnenolone, DHEA, and progesterone, you need cortisol to handle stress. But the way it handles stress is to depress inflammation. It does it at the expense of tissues such as your thymus gland, muscle, skin, and liver, converting protein to fuel to use for energy to combat the stress. It's spending your organism rapidly to get you through a crisis situation. ### Source 7 — [EP.11]The Shocking Truth Why Cortisol Is The Rapid Aging Hormone Georgi Dinkov · Interview · Dec 6, 2023 > **Georgi Dinkov:** So they put these these morbidly obese people through a grueling regime of exercise and fasting, and stimulants, such as caffeine and all kinds of other you know, drugs for them to lose weight. Some of them did, right a lot of them didn't, they just fell is too much stress and dropped out. Some of them did. However, without a single exception, every single one of these people that won the contest was in quote and then went back to their normal life. Within six months. They were not only back to their original weight, they overshot it and by the way, they stayed on a calorically restricted diet. So clearly it's not only the calories that matter, it's the calories out that matter, right? And get in calories out through a stress mechanism such as exercise or fasting. You know, that's the first tool that we use, but it doesn't would be a very heavy price. Why? Well, if cortisol up-regulates its synthesis right peripherally, and we're stressing ourselves, eventually we're going to end up with higher cortisol than we started with. Cortisol is a very well-known obesogenic effect, even admitted by mainstream clinical medicine. If you get a metro pack, which is very common, like, oral glucocorticoid use for minor inflammation and a clicker ear infection and whatnot, they give a metro pack, which is I think six tablets of basically 2250 milligrams of six Metaline. Cortisol, I think, is basically the so it's a glucocorticoid. The site, if you look at the side effect brochure, says this should not be used long term, and in more than a month requires special approval by an endocrinologist, why? Well, it dramatically increases your risk of endocrine disorders, including type two diabetes is a resistance, you know, cardiovascular disease, all these all these things. So we know that cortisol causes these things, right? But if we're overstressing ourselves, to lose those excess electrons, we're creating the machinery to produce even more cortisol. ### Source 8 — [EP.11]The Shocking Truth Why Cortisol Is The Rapid Aging Hormone Georgi Dinkov · Interview · Dec 6, 2023 > **Georgi Dinkov:** Another thing that glucocorticoids do is while you're taking them, they inhibit the activity of the enzyme cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase, which are the IS is produce inflammatory mediators known as prostaglandins, or leukotrienes. From the polyunsaturated fatty acids. However, recent studies discovered that while causal or synthetic glucocorticoids are inhibiting the activity of those inflammatory enzymes, they're simultaneously up-regulating their expression. So basically, just like the opioids, you're developing tolerance, to the effects of the global credit coach, but the moment you stop using them, now, all of this machinery that responsible that was responsible for producing inflammatory signals, now he works in overdrive, because the cortisol, he'll build more of that specific machinery. And I think the essential studies specifically say that cortisol regulates the genetic expression of the cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase enzymes. And also, cortisol up-regulates the expression of the enzyme tryptophan hydroxylase. And also the history of decarboxylase. So the moment you stop taking the glucocorticoids, you're gonna be producing more than before more than baseline of the prostaglandins leukotrienes histamine and serotonin and serotonin kind of has like a reputation of being a happy hormone, at least peripherally. Now it's not a serotonin is anything but it's a very dangerous profibrotic molecule. There are many drugs that are clinically in clinical currently clinical trials that are blocking one of the serotonin receptors, five HD, to be precise, that have been shown to prevent and even reverse peripheral fibrosis to conditions that were considered incurable. So taking glucocorticoids makes you feel good currently for you know, presently, in the background up-regulates the machinery that will make you a lot worse than you were before you started taking the glucocorticoids as soon as you stop them. ### Source 9 — [EP.11]The Shocking Truth Why Cortisol Is The Rapid Aging Hormone Georgi Dinkov · Interview · Dec 6, 2023 > **Dr. Joel Rosen:** Right, exactly. Interesting stuff. So I guess the next question to me to you is, is that a lot of people will, again, do these intermittent fast and the concern is, as you said, it turns over the bacteria which creates endotoxins, which ultimately creates more cortisol, which then creates the challenge of the bioenergetics. And potentially this excessive state of reduction. And being aware of getting the same benefit out of a charcoal or a binder that would bind up those endotoxins, which is typically what's driving that cortisol aging challenge in the first place is this inflammatory cascade, in this case, endotoxins in the GI tract, but in other cases, these mediators mediate areas that can compete with each other and can't produce energy effectively, and then ended up having exhaust coming out of the tailpipe. What I wanted to ask you was the relationship with serotonin, because I don't think a lot of people understand that. And if you couple that with SSRIs, that creates that to be around longer. How does the serotonin fit into all of this GA, especially with cortisol and energetics and so forth? > > **Georgi Dinkov:** That's a great question. And I've talked to several psychiatrists about this. They weren't aware of the relationship between serotonin and cortisol, serotonin is the most potent central controller of cortisol production because serotonin through the five HT to C receptors controls the release of ACTH. So basically, you can create Cushing's Syndrome if you inject a sufficiently high amount of serotonin into an organism because serotonin will stimulate the synthesis in the release of cortisol. Conversely, some of the antidepressant drugs that are marketed specifically the drip Prozac, even though it's an unnecessary drug, show, I would say antidepressant effects slightly better than placebo. The largest trial so far, the meta-analysis shows that it's not very effective, but the way it does work, it does work in some cases. Unbeknownst to many people, Prozac is a five HD to see antagonist, and five HD to see antagonist and in general, no Selective Serotonin antagonists have been used off-label to treat Cushing's Syndrome and Cushing's disease, the drug Cyproheptadine. Some of the older Airgo derivatives such as bromocriptine, Cabergoline, maatregelen, glyceride. Certainly, all of these have several case studies showing that they can treat Cushing's syndrome. And the explanation so far has been that they all have the ones that you are antagonists of the five HD juicy receptors. However, aside from the fight, if you have serotonin active in all of these receptors, serotonin will always raise cortisol. So when you take an unnecessary drug, the ones that do work are invariably on a double antagonist or at one or more of the serotonin receptors, usually five HD juicy, and there's a very good reason for that. We know that cortisol is either upregulated in depression, or people with clinical depression don't respond to cortisol with sufficient sensitivity. ### Source 10 — Danny Roddy (2014) on SHR Radio: A Bioenergetic View of Pattern Hair Loss Danny Roddy · Interview · Aug 29, 2014 · https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awCVDkn6X9k > **Carl Lanore:** Donald Trump believes that, and that's how he substantiates not exercising, by the way. > > **Danny Roddy:** So I think in this whole energetic model, and this goes back to the work of Albert Szent-Györgyi, Ray Peat, of course, talks about it a lot, and Otto Warburg, but they all thought that... you could characterize life and youthfulness as like a high energy metabolism, uncoupling of the mitochondria and things like that, while aging and stress are lower energy metabolism, converting glucose into lactic acid and relying on all these adaptive stress hormones because energy metabolism is not efficient enough to meet energy demands. > > **Carl Lanore:** So what about the cortisol relationship? Obviously, you were under stress and you started to lose your hair. Obviously, cortisol is high. Cortisol has a variety of effects, downstream effects, which include small blood vessels being shut down because the body wants to pool blood in organs and systems that are responsible for the fight or flight response. How does cortisol work into all this? _Generated 2026-07-20 from the Bioenergetic Oracle corpus._