Cortisol Supplements: Some Contain Hidden Steroids, and the Rest Do Surprisingly Little
Several over-the-counter products marketed for joint pain and "adrenal support" have been found to contain unlabeled prescription-strength steroid hormones. People taking them developed rapid weight gain, bone fractures, moon-shaped faces, and stretch marks, classic signs of Cushing's syndrome. When they stopped, their adrenal glands had been so suppressed that their morning cortisol levels dropped dangerously low, requiring prescription hydrocortisone replacement. Some ended up in the ICU. That's the sharp end of the cortisol supplement world. On the milder end, a handful of supplements show modest cortisol-lowering effects in short-term studies, but the evidence is thinner than marketing would suggest.