Blog — high cortisol levels

The UK is facing a growing obesity crisis, with two-thirds of adults and a rising number of children classified as overweight or obese. A recent UK Parliament briefing highlights alarming trends, including regional and ethnic disparities and increased risks linked to socioeconomic status. While public health strategies continue to evolve, addressing the hormonal root of weight gain may offer a more effective, personalized solution. ZRT Laboratory’s Weight Management Profile helps uncover hidden hormonal imbalances—such as elevated cortisol, low testosterone, or thyroid dysfunction—that contribute to stubborn fat gain, poor metabolism, and increased disease risk.

Discover how saliva and blood cortisol testing reveal adrenal function and help diagnose stress-related hormone imbalances like fatigue, anxiety, and burnout.

By Candace Burch, ZRT Laboratory If you cannot figure out why you are gaining weight or can no longer shed pounds easily like you used to – despite your best efforts to eat right, exercise, and take your vitamins every morning– you might be walking around with a hormone imbalance that has you hardwired to put on pounds. Even when we think we’re being healthy, hormonal triggers to unwanted weight gain are too often neglected or overlooked. Testing can help you find the answer. But in the meantime, let’s boil this down to the collective wisdom on eight big culprits...