Your adrenal hormones help you respond to stress and keep your body running smoothly. But with ongoing stress, you may feel tired, irritable, unable to bounce back, or even see signs of aging faster. Animal glandulars or hormone replacement therapy are often recommended, but they ignore the root cause: oxidative stress and a lack of key nutrients. Read on to discover how targeted nutrition can restore adrenal function and support your energy, mood, and overall well-being.

Adrenal Hormones Impact Your Whole Body

Your adrenal glands produce and release a wide array of hormones—including cortisol, DHEA, aldosterone, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and androgens. These hormones influence many functions in the body: blood pressure regulation, blood sugar and insulin balance, electrolyte management, thyroid function, fertility and hormonal health in both men and women, muscle strength, immune tolerance and inflammation control, respiratory function, the health of blood vessel linings, bone density, gut health, and more. They also play a key role in mood stability and cognitive function.

Adrenal Hormone Production

The production and release of adrenal hormones is tightly regulated and delicately balanced to manage all of life’s challenges. Signals from the brain direct the adrenal glands to produce and release cortisol and other hormones.

The adrenal glands need a lot of energy to produce hormones like cortisol, and this process naturally creates oxidative stress. In addition, when these hormones are released in response to daily stress or activity, more oxidative stress can occur. That’s why the store of antioxidants in your adrenal glands is so important—it helps protect them and supports healthy hormone production and regulation.

Oxidative stress from life events and the production of the adrenal hormones must be quenched to maintain an equilibrium. When your body lacks antioxidants, the balance shifts over time causing insufficient or overproduction of adrenal hormones.

Stress from working long hours, inadequate rest, emotional upsets, traumas and accidents, etc. triggers the release of cortisol and other stress hormones to manage these demands. As you face these challenges, more oxidative stress occurs from the production and release of excess stress hormones.

Aging Faster

As stressors continue, you might find that you simply don’t bounce back from things the way you used to. Fatigue, immune dysfunction, cognitive changes, and accelerated aging occur. It becomes more difficult to maintain your overall health and stress tolerance. The terms adrenal fatigue or adrenal dysfunction may be used in this context.

When your adrenal glands and tissues have inadequate antioxidants, oxidative stress causes disturbances in the production or regulation of adrenal hormones like cortisol, DHEA, and aldosterone leading to changes in how well your body can manage things.

• Aldosterone regulates blood pressure and electrolytes (sodium and potassium). 

• Cortisol impacts your body’s reaction to stress, immune and inflammatory responses, and metabolism. 

• DHEA is a precursor to sex hormones that affect sexual development and reproduction.

Stress and excess cortisol, adrenaline, and even thyroid hormone cause reactive oxygen species (ROS) to be released inside cells which damage and destroy lipids (lipid peroxidation), proteins, and DNA. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and gene signals are activated and released causing cellular distress and mitochondrial dysfunction.

These effects negatively impact energy, mood, cognitive function, blood sugar, heart-kidney blood pressure regulation, cholesterol metabolism, weight control, appetite and cravings, fertility, menopause, andropause (the male equivalent of menopause) and much more.

Nutrients for Adrenal Health

Several key nutrients are essential to protect the adrenal glands and the production process that allows a healthy hormonal balance. Almost all tissues have receptor sites for adrenal steroid hormones to regulate inflammatory responses, making it a systemic need. Nutrients are needed to protect these tissues from the oxidative stress effects from imbalanced adrenal hormones. Important nutrients include vitamin C, glutathione, vitamin E, carotenes, selenium, zinc, coenzyme Q10 and even probiotics.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is perhaps the most important nutrient for adrenal gland health. Studies show that during stress, the brain sends signals to blood vessels within the adrenal glands to release vitamin C. This crucial nutrient is required to make cortisol and other adrenal hormones. Because it is stored in adrenal tissues, vitamin C also protects the glands from the free radical stress of making hormones. Furthermore, it helps protect your body from oxidative stress induced by imbalanced cortisol and hormone levels.

Vitamin C is so important to the adrenals that they contain some of the highest concentrations of it in the body. Vitamin C5 is a nutrient that must be supplied by the diet. Your body does not make it. Unfortunately, intake of vitamin C-rich foods has declined globally, which puts you at risk for adrenal stress.

Vitamin C is involved with collagen production which supports adrenal gland health. It also aids other collagen-rich tissues like bones, teeth, gums, and cartilage. It supports immune function and helps regenerate other antioxidants. Ever notice more wrinkles, crepe skin, sore gums, or get a cold after a period of significant stress? You may need more vitamin C.

Glutathione

Glutathione is another antioxidant used by the adrenal glands to quench oxidative stress within its tissues and the free radicals that cortisol generates throughout your body. Animal studies demonstrate that glutathione is found in the adrenal medulla, the inner portion of the gland, and is involved with blood pressure and vascular control during times of stress. Glutathione levels decline with high amounts of oxidative stress and age.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is an important protector against stress hormone-induced oxidative stress. This fat-soluble antioxidant provides protection for DNA and proteins in the adrenal glands and throughout all tissues. It also protects against lipid peroxidation. This helps protect tissues like your heart and blood vessel lining, mitochondria, brain, and other tissues against cortisol induced oxidative stress.

Carotenes and Selenium

Other antioxidants like astaxanthin, beta carotene, lutein, lycopene, and selenium scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by oxidative stress induced by adrenal hormones. These richly-colored antioxidants quench free radicals and regulate NF-kappa B, C-reactive protein, TNF-a, pro-inflammatory cytokines, oxidized lipids, and other compounds.

Selenium aids glutathione function and helps recycle it in the adrenal glands and the thyroid gland, too. This helps protect the adrenal and thyroid glands against oxidative stress. Selenium, vitamin E and glutathione together help regulate neurotransmitters and blood pressure from prolonged exposure to stress hormones.

Zinc, Q10, Probiotics and Others

Zinc, coenzyme Q10, other plant-based antioxidants, and probiotics affect adrenal gland health by mitigating oxidative stress in the gland and elsewhere in the body. Levels of zinc and coenzyme Q10 decline with age making it more difficult to manage oxidative stress in the adrenals. Other plant-based antioxidants and nutrients that quench oxidative stress are helpful too.

The Risk of Adrenal Glandular and Hormone Replacement

Over the years, adrenal glandular hormone support or hormone replacement therapy have often been used to rebalance cortisol, DHEA, estrogen, progesterone, and/or testosterone levels. This can provide relief and essential support to the struggling individual. This approach, however, fails to address the fundamental antioxidant-nutrient needs for the adrenal glands and oxidative stress. Taking adrenal glandulars or hormones without the underlying antioxidant foundation can place more oxidative stress on a dysregulated system. 

It is of primary importance to restore the nutrients required to produce adrenal hormones and to quench oxidative stress caused by the production process and life stress. These are fundamental principles for aging well, energy, stress tolerance, mood, blood sugar, blood pressure, healthy weight, heart, immune, gut, and brain health.

Helpful Supplements for Adrenal Support

Nutritional supplements provide clinically relevant dosages of nutrients needed to restore tissue levels along with a healthy, organic, well-balanced diet. Relaxation, stress coping techniques, and quality sleep are also fundamental.

Wellness Resources Vitamin C is available as pure pharmaceutical grade ascorbic acid 1000 mg capsules. It is also newly available in a convenient, neutral tasting Buffered C Powder for those who have difficulty swallowing capsules, want a higher dose, or desire a buffered form.

Glutathione Ultra is an advanced form of glutathione that provides excellent absorption and bioavailability. This master antioxidant is used by all tissues in the body. Levels decline with stress, age, toxins, and health challenges.

Daily Super E provides a powerful blend of the vitamin E tocotrienol forms combined with a d-alpha tocopherol. Tocotrienols provide greater antioxidant support than tocopherols because of the biochemical structure. Vitamin E tocotrienols are also found in Leptinal and tocopherols are found in Daily Protector Eye & Immune.

Daily Protector Eye & Immune contains carotenes, zinc, and selenium, making it a great core product to protect your body against oxidative stress. The nutrients in this product also aid glutathione function.

Astaxanthin is a red microalgae showing remarkable oxidative stress protection for skin, lungs and sinuses, heart, brain, gut, bones, eyes, mitochondria, and more.

Super Coenzyme Q10 and Super Q10 Ubiquinol are superior absorption Q10 supplements for antioxidant support. I recommend either product for adrenal health, but if you are over 40 and have health challenges, the Ubiquinol form may be preferred.

Adrenal Helper is a blend of herbal adaptogens to support the brain-adrenal connection and hormone balance. Adaptogens provide safe support to help your body adapt to stress rather than burnout and exhaustion.

Adrenal stress or adrenal fatigue doesn’t have to get the best of you. Optimizing your nutrition can help you break free from stress-related decline and get through your to-do list healthier and happier.

Helpful Resources

Adrenal Glands Need Antioxidants and Nourishment

Adaptogens, Stress, and the HPA Axis

Stress and Adrenals: Restoring the HPA Axis