Hi,
Everyone has heard that it is bad to overtrain, right? I didn't really understand why so I thought I would get some information and post it.
"If you want to be thin and unhealthy, run lots and lots and lots of slow miles so that your body fills up with cortisol, eating away fat and muscle." Quote from Karl King
Cortisol, also known as hydrocortisone, is a hormone from the adrenal cortex; it is the principal glucocorticoid. A synthetic preparation is used for its anti-inflamatory actions.
Glucocorticoids are essential to life. They enable us to adapt to external changes and stress. They also maintain fairly consistent plasma glucose levels even when we go for long periods without ingesting food. Cortisol is the major corticosteroid. It is responsible for about 95% of all glucocorticoid activity in the body. Cortisol is known to:
[list=1]stimulate gluconeogenesis (creation of glucose) to ensure an adequate fuel supply;
increase mobilization of free fatty acids, making them a more available energy source;
decrease glucose utilization, sparing it for the brain;
stimulate protein catabolism to release amino acids for use in repair, enzyme synthesis, and energy production;
act as an anti-inflamatory agent;
depress immune reactions; and
increase the vasoconstriction caused by epinephrine.[/list=1]
As you can see, cortisol is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, without it we would not at all get along very well. Some elite level
endurance athletes have even experimented with cortisol-like drugs to enhance performance.
Understandably, blocking that debilitating achiness that comes on late in long endurance events would certainly provide an advantage.
There really is nothing wrong with having elevated cortisol during exercise; however, if it stays elevated after exercise, then it may be a problem.
Lots of worries in life, a stressful job, and risk taking can all elevate cortisol and keep it up. This may prevent the endurance athlete from recovering adequately.
Cortisol is a so-called catabolic (breakdown) hormone, the opposite of an anabolic hormone. Having cortisol elevated at other times other than exercise may prevent the athlete from recovering at an optimal rate.
One of the best ways to control elevated cortisol levels is to keep well hydrated. There is some recent science showing that dehydration causes cortisol levels to increase.
Consume plenty of carbohydrates and good quality protein to potentially deflect the ill effects of elevated cortisol.
There are also some fancy supplements available in health food stores that have been suggestion to reduce cortisol production. They are acetyl-L-carnitine and phosphatidylserine. They are expensive supplements, but if cost isn't a concern then they may be something to experiment with.
Sources:
Miller-Keane, Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health (6th Edition). W.B. Saunders Co., 1997.
Wilmore-Costill, Physiology of Sport and Exercise.
Human Kinetics, 1994.
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