Sugar has a way of draining energy, adding to belly fat, and stalling weight loss. Dr. Corey Howard, a board-certified internal medicine and functional medicine physician in Naples, Florida, knows how sugar influences stress hormones and metabolism.
Howard Health & Wellness looks at the full picture, linking nutrition, hormones, and daily habits to help you create change.
Cortisol and the Stress Connection
When you eat foods high in sugar, your blood sugar spikes and your body scrambles to bring it back down. In the process, cortisol, the hormone tied to stress, can rise.
Elevated cortisol does more than leave you feeling wired. It also signals your body to store fat, especially around the midsection. Belly fat is particularly linked to cortisol because this hormone tells your body to keep energy reserves close at hand.
Over time, this creates a cycle where stress and sugar both feed into abdominal weight gain. The same hormone shifts can also throw off your sleep, making it even harder to break free from the pattern.
Sugar Highs, Sugar Lows
When you eat a sugary food, your blood glucose rises quickly and gives you a short burst of energy. To bring those levels back down, your pancreas releases insulin, the hormone that helps shuttle glucose into your cells for fuel or storage. This sharp insulin response can sometimes overshoot, causing blood sugar to dip lower than normal.
That dip, sometimes called reactive hypoglycemia, can leave you feeling shaky, lightheaded, anxious, or unusually tired. The brain is especially sensitive to these changes, so you may also notice brain fog or irritability.
To correct the imbalance, your body signals cravings for more quick carbs, which can restart the cycle within hours of your last meal.
A Smarter Approach to Health
The good news is you can break the cycle. Functional medicine digs into the “why” behind symptoms instead of masking them.
Dr. Howard uses advanced testing to uncover hidden imbalances and then builds a plan that fits your life. For people struggling with weight, medications like semaglutide and tirzepatide can help, but nutrition, sleep, and lifestyle shifts remain the foundation of lasting change.
Moving Forward
Living with constant fatigue and stubborn belly fat is not your only option. Call Howard Health & Wellness in Naples, FL, at 239-331-2285 to schedule a consultation and start reclaiming your energy.
