Patients gain weight no matter how little they eat and no matter how much they exercise. Any disease that causes excess cortisol secretion results in weight gain. Cortisol causes weight gain. However, there’s evidence of the association between cortisol and weight gain even in people who don’t have Cushing’s syndrome. In a random sample from north Glasgow, Scotland,15 cortisol-excretion rates were strongly correlated to body mass index and waist measurements. Higher cortisol levels were seen in heavier people. Cortisol-related weight gain, particularly abdominal fat deposits, results in an
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