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Cortisol and Belly Fat

Meaning

This term describes the clinically significant link between chronically elevated levels of the glucocorticoid hormone cortisol and the preferential accumulation of visceral adipose tissue, commonly known as belly fat. Sustained stress response activation drives this metabolic dysregulation, leading to a specific pattern of central adiposity. This type of fat deposition is metabolically active and poses a higher risk for cardiometabolic disease and insulin resistance than subcutaneous fat. Clinical management requires simultaneous stress and metabolic intervention.