The Metabolic Classroom with Dr. Ben Bikman Ketogenesis & Stress: Can Stress Hormones Actually Be Good For You?
Oct 15, 2025
Discover the unexpected link between stress and ketone production. Dr. Bikman reveals how stress hormones like cortisol and epinephrine can boost fat-burning by triggering ketogenesis. He explains how the body’s response to stress mobilizes energy, turning fat into fuel, especially during low-carb diets. While acute stress can enhance metabolism, chronic stress has detrimental effects, leading to insulin resistance. Learn to harness stress for metabolic advantage while avoiding its pitfalls.
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Stress As An Energy Mobilizer
- Stress is the body's coordinated response to perceived threats and shifts metabolism to mobilize energy.
- Acute stress raises catecholamines and mobilizes fat within seconds to provide rapid fuel.
Fast Neural Response Drives Lipolysis
- The sympathetic nervous system triggers rapid catecholamine release from the adrenal medulla.
- Epinephrine and norepinephrine prepare the body for action and directly signal fat cells to break down stored fat.
Cortisol’s Sustained Metabolic Role
- The HPA axis acts slower but sustains the stress response via cortisol from the adrenal cortex.
- Cortisol raises blood sugar, promotes fat breakdown selectively, and reduces insulin sensitivity to free energy stores.