Belly Fat? Cortisol versus Oxytocin and Weight Loss

Weight gain is perhaps one of the most challenging health issues a person will ever have to face during their lifetime. Whether tackling the more serious condition of obesity, or just dealing with the more regular day to day issues of weight control, finding a solution to the issue is much debated among physicians, health professionals and members of the public alike. Can oxytocin help with weight loss?

The fact is: weight gain is commonly associated with stress. When a person becomes stressed, the body reacts by releasing higher levels of the hormone, cortisol. Cortisol is an important hormone in our bodies, produced in the adrenal glands. It is essential to maintaining glucose metabolism, regulating blood pressure, keeping a healthy immune system and triggering an anti-inflammatory response. Stress typically secretes cortisol into the bloodstream, earning the hormone the common label of “the stress hormone,” meaning that it is present in the body at higher levels during the “fight or flight” response to stress. Increased levels of cortisol result in several defensive mechanisms during periods of stress, such as heightened memory, increased pain thresholds, increased immunity and increased short term energy levels.

Returning cortisol to normal levels

However, although cortisol is an important part of the body’s defense against stress, it is equally important that the body’s functions are able to return to their normal levels following periods of stress. If this does not happen, this can lead to more severe conditions, such as chronic stress, anxiety and depression.

On many occasions, the body’s cortisol levels return to normal naturally after a period of stress. However, if they do not naturally do so, it may be necessary to intervene with appropriate treatment. To keep cortisol at a healthy level and under control, the body’s relaxation response needs to be effectively activated after fight or flight. One important hormone in aiding relaxation is oxytocin.

Managing cortisol

Oxytocin acts as a warrior against cortisol, keeping it at manageable levels. It is your body’s built-in mechanism for countering the effects of increased cortisol levels, helping to restore your body to health naturally. Elevated cortisol levels can lead to a number of health problems; healthy levels of cortisol break down non-essential organisms in order to break down blood sugar levels. However, when cortisol levels stay high, they start to break down essential parts of the body, such as bones. This is then linked to physical conditions such as weight gain, heart problems and brittle bone conditions.

Cortisol levels can remain high because the body is not producing enough oxytocin to negate its effects. The good news is that oxytocin is available as a bio-hormone, thanks to many research studies linking its production to reduced stress, improved social relationships and general men’s and women’s wellness.

Dr. Tammy Tucker, a family physician based in Bentonville, Ark., has over ten years experience in working with hormone balance. She said: “The challenge with stress is that the more we experience it, the less we do about it. Oxytocin is a naturally occurring hormone in the brain that can help to reduce stress.”

Stress is linked to weight gain. Excess fat is a natural consequence of too much cortisol in the body. The war between cortisol and oxytocin is a finely-fought one; the two hormones are constantly at work trying to maintain a level of balance in the body. If at any point that balance tips in favor of cortisol, the consequences are directly linked to weight gain. Taking oxytocin supplements in the form of a nasal spray or sublingual drops could be a simple solution to helping keep weight under control.

Lose Weight with Oxytocin

Oxytocin Factor is a non-prescription supplemental oxytocin in either a sublingual liquid, which is dripped underneath the tongue, or a nasal spray for quick and convenient application. Online reports and testimonials are proving highly positive, with results ranging from improvement to complete eradication of the problem.

For more information contact Bryan Post, Managing Editor of Oxytocin Central info@oxytocincentral.com or call (405) 476-1983

The Love Hormone Oxytocin and Aging

Doctors will often tell you than the route to a healthy and happy life is to maintain an active lifestyle and a healthy diet. While this is always good advice, the fact is that this will only go so far for people who have underlying problems. For people who have a temporary problem in their lives, promoting a healthy lifestyle is often the answer, for people with inherent problems, the only way to address them is with medical prescriptions and supplements.

Oxytocin diminishes stress to fight aging

Take hormone imbalance for instance. Bodily hormones are responsible for so many chemical processes which underlie the mental disposition of an individual, alongside many physical processes. Hormones are responsible for our growth, our mood and emotions, our sexual activity and health, the stabilization of our metabolism, puberty, reproduction, pregnancy and menopause. Thus, the endocrine system is crucial for our survival and health, and, because many crucial hormones are secreted in the brain, and our brain activity and response to external stimuli can affect hormone release, your mind and your environment are very important to the health of the individual at large. This makes tackling hormone deficiencies highly important.

Natural aging and accelerated aging

Aging is a naturally occurring phenomenon in all living things and, in biological terms, is known as senescence. As a rule of thumb, over time cells responsible for the organ tissue all over the body become less efficient at dividing and making new copies of themselves. They also become worse at dealing with things that can accelerate the aging process. The process of senescence is not inherent to all cells, and is determined by the underlying genetic information. There are genetic sequences at the end of chromosomes present within cells called telomeres. The cell requires the telomeres to divide, and so with each cycle, the length of these telomeres decreases. When these telomeres become too short, the cells cannot reproduce properly, and will begin to die. This effect becomes important from early to late young adulthood.

So, aging is a natural process and the result of a number of underlying biological mechanisms, with telomeres being one of them. This is not the problem, since the real problem is accelerated aging. Accelerated aging means that cell division becomes inefficient too early on in life, with the effects of aging such as wrinkles, poor skin condition, and degrading mental function happening before they should.

The link between oxytocin and aging

There are many things which can cause this premature aging, and a very common cause is hormone imbalance. Without the correct balance of hormones that regulate stress in the body (such as oxytocin), many problems can present themselves, such as the result of anxiety, a compromised immune system and lack of concentration, to name only a few. Oxytocin is vital for many things linked to social connections and relationships, and the effects of oxytocin release include comfort, relaxation and content. It is the hormone that makes us trust other people, open up and be intimate, and form healthy and long-lasting relationships, romantic or non-romantic. Without it, you are much more likely to develop anxiety and stress related problems, and this leads to premature aging. So, oxytocin is important in indirectly tackling the problem of premature aging.

Combat aging with oxytocin

While many women find that they need hormone replacement therapy when they get older, the factors that cause this imbalance are a mixture of genes and environment. Stress due to environment is one of the most common ways to upset a normal hormonal balance, leading to premature aging. The first thing you should think about is addressing the problems in your life which are causing too much stress.

No matter the cause of your problem, taking oxytocin as a supplement is one of the most effective ways to relieve stress and anxiety. Oxytocin supplements can make you feel better, and feel better equipped to tackle the problems in your life that caused you too much stress in the first place.

Oxytocin Factor is a leading oxytocin supplement, and has proven results on the general emotional well-being of women who take it. It can be taken either nasally or sublingually (under the tongue) and, for the huge amount of benefits it has, including fighting premature aging, it really is well worth the price. Make sure you consult with your physician before taking any hormone supplement, to ensure it is the correct choice for you individually.

For more information contact Bryan Post, Managing Editor of Oxytocin Central info@oxytocincentral.com or call (405) 476-1983

Oxytocin and Addictions (drugs, smoking)

Our nervous system and our endocrine system are both hugely influential over our lives. The way we think, talk, act, remember, believe and function within a social society are all heavily influenced by the secretion of hormones from glands in the brain and body, which have been designed and refined over the course of human evolution to kick in when we need them, and deliver the beneficial effects that we all know so well.

Oxytocin and Drug Addiction

Chemical use and addiction is intimately involved with hormone production, and neurotransmitter function within the brain. Take cocaine for instance. This substance blocks neurons from re-taking the hormones dopamine, serotonin and epinephrine that it releases across a synapse. This leads to excess hormones in the synaptic gap, causing elevated bodily responses from the elevated hormone levels, such as increased energy and confidence.

Oxytocin is a hormone similar to the ones mentioned here, and so it makes sense to assume that oxytocin could certainly have effects on those suffering from drug addictions. This has been an area in need of research for a long time, but oxytocin has been shown to inhibit certain drug functions (Kovacs et al., 1998), while being at least partly responsible for the action of drugs like MDMA. These effects are not as important as the positive effects that oxytocin could have at the larger social and emotional scale of drug dependence however, in a field which is lacking just as much research. A link between oxytocin and dopamine is suggesting that control could be placed on addiction, and especially the social forces that preclude addictive behavior, by use of oxytocin.

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Oxytocin Helps Group Thinking and Working

Oxytocin, which has been scientifically found to have many benefits such as weight loss, better sex and improved sleep, has now been found to help people work together in groups. A recent study, The “Herding Hormone; Oxytocin Stimulates In-Group Conformity” published in the journal, Psychological Science, has found that members of a group are influenced by “horde mentality” and tend to agree with each other.

Love hormone

You may be wondering what the benefits of this finding could be. The stimulation of in-group conformity could lead to several positive outcomes. Oxytocin is the naturally occuring hormone that is often referred to as the “love hormone.” The oxytocin factor is what leads to sociability, trust, generosity, empathy and closeness between people. It is also responsible for creating that unbreakable bond between mother and child, as well as contributing towards fidelity and togetherness in long term relationships.

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Study Suggests Oxytocin “Longterm Treatment” for Autism

Oxytocin, which is often referred to as the ‘love hormone,’ is a peptide that is used to help new mothers lactate, and is also credited as helping to form that unbreakable bond between mother and child. The hormone, which has been involved in the treatment of many health issues, has since catalyzed numerous scientific and psychological experiments to further investigate its many possible uses. Due to its bonding capabilities, oxytocin has been linked to social relationships and – excitingly – could have possibilities as a treatment for many forms of psychiatric or developmental disorders, including autism.

Around one in every 110 children is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Affecting the daily lives of millions of people across the world, scientists are yet to determine either the cure or the cause. Autism Spectrum Disorder can have mild to severe affects on development; therefore devising strategies to cope with them remains a major issue for the health industry, as well as for the families of those affected.

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Could Oxytocin Be the New, Natural Viagra?

It’s official: those men who are looking to improve their libido should forget about drugs such as Viagra. In fact, there could be a much more natural solution available to men who want to improve their performance in the bedroom. That new solution comes in the form of oxytocin. A study earlier this year found that the hormone, which is often referred to as the “cuddle drug,” can drastically improve male sexual performance.

A hormone with “Blockbuster potential”

Scientists hailed oxytocin as having “blockbuster potential” following the results of the groundbreaking study. The University
of California conducted a study on a married father of three who previously suffered from attention deficit disorder (ADD), which caused him to have difficulty maintaining social relationships. It also meant that he was having difficulty maintaining an adequate relationship with his wife.

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Oxytocin and Depression

If you are looking for ways to treat illnesses and ailments, then there are more avenues to take than ever before. The consensual opinion merging of all types of nationalities and cultures through the Internet means that there are more alternative treatments for any given problem. While proven medical justification for many supposed remedies varies, many alternative treatments are now being recommended by physicians themselves. This article examines the symptoms of depression and the use of oxytocin in alleviating them.

Depression in the modern world

The CDC states that depression affects roughly 1 in 10 adults in the US, which is a figure that echoes around most of the western world. As it stands, depression is therefore a very relevant issue for the general health of the populace, and it becomes even more important when the symptoms of depression are noted.

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