How is stress hormone linked with higher blood sugar in type 2 diabetes?
A clear link has been found between the stress hormone cortisol and higher blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes, according to a new study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and The Ohio State University College of Medicine.
The study published online in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology.
“In healthy people, cortisol fluctuates naturally throughout the day, spiking in the morning and falling at night,” said Dr. Joshua J. Joseph, an endocrinologist and researcher at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s Diabetes and Metabolism Research Center who led the study. “But in participants with type 2 diabetes, cortisol profiles that were flatter throughout the day, had higher glucose levels.”
Previous research has shown that stress and depression are two of the major causes of a flatter cortisol profile. These sustained levels of cortisol make it much more difficult to control blood sugar and manage the disease, which is why it is so important for those with type 2 diabetes to find ways to reduce stress.
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