With only a few days to go before I can switch off and relax I was interested to read a short article in the Daily Mail by Lowri Turner about the connection between cortisol and weight gain.

This is something that Dr John Briffa has spoken about on a number of occasions.  It is really interesting to see how my ability to metabolise food changes when I begin to chill.

In the summer, when I go away for three weeks, I really notice the difference in my shape even though I am often eating more and doing less than my normal routine at home and work.

It would seem that Dr John Briffa is not alone in his view that stress can cause a rise in the natural levels of cortisol.  When we are under stress our bodies want to prepare for fight or flight and cortisol kicks in to create more energy and does this by  raising  our blood sugars through the production of new glucose from the liver. This in term causes a rise in insulin and that leads to yet other problems.