Cortisol?

Question
Hi Cari
I am a 51 year old guy struggling with mainly abdominal obesity and bloating.
I have determined that certain foods(alcohol, fatty foods) cause more bloating and have cut back.
But, in spite of dieting and exercise I cant get waist to shrink.
At 5'8" it should be smaller than the current 44 inches I am aware of the health risks involved.
I was researching my problem on the internet and I keep seeing a connection between cortisol and abdominal obesity/visceral fat.
Is there anything to this or is this just the latest fad?
I am thinking there might be something to it in my case. I have been a coffee and tea drinker since childhood (by the way I was a fat kid), and when I started my new job last year my belly got even bigger. This job is fairly stressfull and because it involves shiftwork I am drinking coffee in the evening to stay alert.
Thanks for your help/thoughts!

Answer
Hi Van - I think there are many things that contribute to obesity - you mention that you drink quite a lot of coffee and that you have a stressful job, and that made me wonder how well you sleep because there is a pretty strong link between lack of sleep and obesity (see http://www.ditch-diets-live-light.com/sleep-and-obesity.html).  In addition, stress releases cortisol as well and scientists reckon one of the places it does accumulate is around your midriff.
There are also lots of speculations (and maybe a slightly different view on that too) about abdominal fat (see http://www.ditch-diets-live-light.com/obesity-and-dementia.html) - reading this article will give you a slightly different view on that.
By the way you don't mention if you perhaps drink beer, but a beer belly is also something very commonly found amongst men.
As for pills and potions to help you lose belly fat, my own personal view is don't waste your money - they may help short term, but long term they usually lead to yo-yo'ing weight problems.
Kind regards
Cari  

1. Prev:Acid reflux when running
2. Next:My body