Ask the Doctors | August 2005

Ask the Doctors
By Drs. Jeff, Craig and Marissa

Question: Hello Doctors! I have a question about a diet product I keep hearing about called Corti-Slim. What are Cortisol tablets? What are they supposed to do? Do they work?

Before we answer this question, we would like to remind our readers that exercise and proper nutrition is the safest and healthiest way to lose weight--bar none. With that said, people will always look for that quick fix to lose weight.

The promoters of this product believe that the reason America has a general weight problem stems from the fact that we are in a constant state of stress. This leads to a state of excess cortisol production, which stimulates glucose production. This excess glucose is then converted into fat, ending up as stored fat.

The hormone cortisol is produced by the adrenal gland when the body is under stress. Your hypothalamus, via the pituitary gland, directs the adrenal glands to secrete both cortisol and adrenaline. Cortisol is released as part of your daily hormonal cycle, but both hormones can also be released in reaction to perceived stress, both physical and emotional, as part of the body's fight-or-flight response that is essential for survival.

According to Shawn Talbott, PhD and William Kraemer, the authors of the book "The Cortisol Connection," stress, and the resulting chronic overload of cortisol, make you feel tired and listless. So you overeat to renew your energy and comfort yourself, resulting in an accumulation of extra inches around the mid-section. Based on this theory, Talbott has formulated a costly supplement that is heavily advertised online, in magazines, and on cable and network TV. According to the commercials, taking a daily dose of the product, CortiSlim, is supposed to help suppress cortisol levels. With cortisol under control, you're supposed to be able to decrease your tendency to store fat and be able to lose unwanted weight. (Another heavily advertised product named Relacore claims to create the same results.) Both CortiSlim and Relacore are classified as herbal supplements, which means they are not required to undergo testing or research to back up these claims.

We obviously recommend that people take an active role in lowering their levels of daily stress. Stress can be a major health deterrent and exercise is at the forefront of combating stress naturally.

Overall, there is little evidence (except in studies produced by the product's own makers for use in their advertising) that the CortiSlim formulation can deliver any unique impact on cortisol levels. In fact, in late October of 2004, the Federal Trade Commission also found fault with some of the claims promoted by CortiSlim. It charged the makers, including Shawn Talbott, with false advertising. The FTC told them they must stop advertising that CortiSlim guarantees a permanent weight loss of 10 to 15 pounds and that it was backed by 15 years of scientific research.