However, he adds, “when you have long-term chronic or repetitive stress — things like serious financial problems or being the sole caretaker of a child, sick spouse or parent — it can lead to physiological consequences.”
One of the most prominent side effects of prolonged cortisol levels is weight gain, Davis explains, specifically visceral fat. “This is the fat that surrounds the organs, the intestines and the liver, and it’s inflammatory fat,” he says. “Visceral fat leads to insulin resistance and contributes to diseases such as high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes.”
Cortisol can also weaken the activity of certain cells linked to the immune system, says Dr. Heather Moday, immunologist, functional medicine practitioner, and author of The advancement of the immunotype. This reduces the production of antibodies and can weaken the body’s immune response over time.
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