网络近期痴迷于皮质醇（cortisol），引发了一种新流行饮品，被称为“皮质醇鸡尾酒”，用户声称此饮飮可以减轻压力，甚至有助于减肥。该饮飮也常被称为“肾上腺鸡尾酒”，在社交媒体上有多种变体，但主要成分通常是橙汁、柠檬汁、椰子水和少量的海盐。
专家指出，目前没有证据显示这种饮品能显著降低压力或通过降低皮质醇水平来助于减肥。然而，其包含的成分确实提供了某些营养益处，或许能够为饮用者带来提振。“我一看到配方里的成分，就想到这很像混合起来的运动饮料”，Case Western Reserve University 的整合性和功能医学營養师及讲师Lindsay Malone 对 CBS News 如是说，“含有果汁、钠、钾，一点糖分和电解质在液体里… 我只怀疑，这些好处的一部分可能只是因为人们缺水，所以他们获得了血糖提升，还有电解质补充来重新补水。这可能是吸引人的原因之一。”
皮质醇是什么？
“皮質醇是肾上腺在应对接压力时产生的激素，对调节新陈代谢、炎症、血糖水平以及甚至睡眠-清醒周期起关键作用。”注册營養师Avery Zenker解释道，“皮質醇常被视为负面，但它是生存所必需的。关键是有效地平衡它而不是试图消除它。皮质醇水平应该自然地在一天中波动，理想的是早上有一个高峰帮助我们感到清醒和准备好，晚上则降低以准备睡眠。”
激素水平在不断变化，因此“荷尔蒙失衡”的概念有点误导性，“Ruby Oak Nutrition”的營養師和老板Christine Byrne说。“如果你认为自己的荷尔蒙水平有问题，寻求内分泌学家的帮助是非常重要的，而不是自己研究诊断并自我治疗。很多影响人们难以诊断的症狀的因素被某些影响力人士和健康公司归咎于模糊的问题如荷尔蒙失衡或肾上腺疲劳，然后推销一个看似解决问题的解决方案。但大多数这种东西缺乏证据支持或经过彻底测试。”
皮质醇鸡尾酒配方是否能降低皮質醇水平？
“皮質醇鸡尾酒是这些针对压力或减肥等问题寻找解决方法的健康趋势之一，但它背后并没有实质性的支持”，Byrne 说道。“因此，人们不应将这种混合物视为治疗压力或体重问题的灵丹妙药。不过，Malone 女士表示尝试这种饮品不会造成危害，并且其中包含了一些具有营养益处的成分。”
例如，橙汁富含维生素C，有助于免疫系统；椰子水能补水并含钾（奶油苏打也是混合物中常见的另一种成分）；而海盐则在电解质不足时可补充钠。但这些好处也可以从全食中获得，全食还可能带来额外的益处。果汁和椰子水与整果相比，含有较高的糖分且纤维含量较低。
Malone女士指出，大多数人摄入足够的钠，钾可以在水果和蔬菜中找到；而镁是另一种电解质，在全谷物和豆类中存在。
如何减轻压力、减重？
尽管压力可能影响体重和身体组成，但降低压力或减肥并不只是通过日常饮用“皮質醇鸡尾酒”或其他潮流的万能解决方法。Malone女士说道：“对大多数人来说，最主要的问题是缺乏运动和摄入过多的热量。”而支持健康皮质醇水平的最佳方式包括均衡饮食、规律锻炼、保持水分、优质睡眠和管理压力。“对大多数人来说，关注这些方面比只喝一种特定饮料更为重要。”
网络痴迷于皮质醇后，引出了“皮質醇鸡尾酒”这种看似能解决健康问题的新潮流饮品。但专家指出，这类饮品并没有科学支持。正确的方式是通过均衡的饮食、规律运动、保持水分、充足睡眠和压力管理来维护健康的皮质醇水平。
所以，在尝试任何新的健康趋势之前，重要的是了解其背后的实际效果与科学依据，而不仅仅依赖于流行的标签或口号。
新闻来源：www.cbsnews.com
原文地址：Are trending “cortisol cocktails” really helpful for stress and weight loss?
新闻日期：2024-10-04
原文摘要：
The internet's current obsession with cortisol has prompted a new trending concoction dubbed the "cortisol cocktail" that users claim can reduce stress and even help with weight loss.Also referred to as an "adrenal cocktail," the drink has some variations across social media but mainly consists of orange or lemon juice, coconut water and a bit of sea salt. Experts say there's no evidence this drink can significantly reduce stress or weight by lowering cortisol levels, but the ingredients do offer some nutritional benefits that may give drinkers a boost."As soon as I saw the ingredients, I was like, this looks remarkably similar to a sports drink you would mix up," Lindsay Malone, an integrative and functional medicine dietitian and nutrition instructor at Case Western Reserve University, told CBS News. "Juice, sodium, some potassium, so a little bit of sugar, some electrolytes in a fluid... I just wonder, if some of the benefits are just that, generally, people are dehydrated, and so maybe they get a little blood sugar boost, and then also some electrolytes to rehydrate them. Maybe that's part of the pull for this."What is cortisol? "Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal glands in response to stress and plays a key role in regulating metabolism, inflammation, blood sugar levels and even sleep-wake cycles," said Avery Zenker, a registered dietitian . Cortisol often gets a bad reputation, she said, but it's essential for survival. "The key is balancing it effectively rather than attempting to eliminate it. Cortisol levels should naturally change and cycle through the day, ideally with a spike in the morning to help us feel awake and ready to go, and lower in the evening when it's time for sleep," Zender said. Since hormone levels are constantly changing, the idea of a "hormone imbalance" is kind of misleading, said Christine Byrne, dietitian and owner of Ruby Oak Nutrition."If you think there's something wrong with your hormone levels, it's so, so important to seek the help of an endocrinologist instead of trying to do your own research to diagnose and treat yourself," Byrne said. "Lots of influencers and wellness companies prey off people with difficult-to-diagnose symptoms by blaming these symptoms on vague problems like hormone imbalance or adrenal fatigue, then selling a supposed solution. But most of this stuff isn't evidence-based or thoroughly tested."Does the adrenal cocktail recipe lower cortisol levels? "The cortisol cocktail is one of these wellness trends that might sound appealing to people who are looking for a solution to a difficult health problem like stress, but there's just no backing behind it," Byrne said. So while people shouldn't look at the mixture as a miracle cure for stress or weight loss, Malone said the drink is harmless to try and contains ingredients that do have some nutritional benefits. For example, orange juice contains vitamin C which help support the immune system, coconut water is hydrating and contains potassium (as does cream of tartar, another often featured ingredient of the mix) and sea salt can replenish sodium levels when electrolytes are low.But, you can get these benefits from other avenues like whole foods, which can have additional benefts. Fruit juice and coconut water, for example, are high in sugar and lack fiber compared with whole fruit, Zenker said.Most people get enough sodium, Malone said, but potassium can be found in fruits and vegetables and magnesium, another electrolyte, is found in whole grains and legumes.How to lower stress, lose weightWhile stress can influence weight and body composition, it's important to remember there are multiple factors at play when it comes to lowering stress or losing weight — not something achieved solely through a daily dose of a "cortisol cocktail" or other trendy cure-all."For most people, the bottom line is not moving enough and eating too many calories," Malone said of weight loss.And the best way to support healthy cortisol levels? A balanced approach, Zenker said, including a nutritious diet, regular exercise, staying hydrated, quality sleep and managing stress. "For most people, focusing on these things is more significant than making a specific beverage," she said.
