Cortisol’s Connection with Metabolic Syndrome Presented by: Dr. Sanjay Kapur, MSc, PhD
About Dr. Sanjay Kapur, MSc, PhD Scientific Director at ZRT Laboratory, Dr. Kapur is instrumental in establishing and directing various research projects for development of clinical laboratory tests. He also initiates scientific collaborations with national and international investigators interested in relevant areas of research. Dr. Kapur received his Doctorate in Life Sciences from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India in 1993 and his second Masters degree in Business Administration from Baker College in Flint, Michigan in 2005. He has extensive experience in biomedical research and has served in several lead positions directing studies involving development of novel assays and technologies in the areas of cytotoxicity and drug metabolism. He served as Research Scientist at CHUL Research Center, Quebec, Canada, and was involved in diabetes and obesity research. He has made significant contributions in developing several QSAR’s while serving as Senior Research Scientist at Pomona College, Claremont, California where he led all research activities of the toxicology group. He has published several articles in the field of drug metabolism and signal transduction in peer reviewed national and international journals. He has strong interests in development of new testing methodologies and innovative laboratory procedures and conducts research into new applications of clinical laboratory testing at ZRT.
Lecture objectives:
- Outline the normal functions of cortisol in the body.
- Describe the types of stress situations as well as other diseases that lead to chronically increased cortisol levels.
- Discuss the effects of chronically high cortisol on body chemistry.
- List the long-term health problems that can result from these changes in body chemistry.
- Discuss specifically those factors that cause an increased risk of heart disease.
- Suggest methods to alleviate chronic stress, bring cortisol levels back to normal and promote wellness
Agenda of the specific points to be covered during the program:
- The role of cortisol as the “fight or flight” hormone and how it works to maximize the body’s ability to respond to acute stress by stimulating processes that boost energy supply to muscles and suppressing non-essential body functions
- Types of persistent stress, both emotional and physical, which contribute to maintaining high cortisol levels
- Physiological effects of chronically high cortisol, including raised blood pressure, suppressed immune function, reduced sex hormone levels, reduced growth hormone, hyperglycemia, reduced bone density, increased clotting factors
- Mechanisms by which reduced sex hormones and growth hormone, combined with hyperglycemia, lead to visceral fat deposits and insulin resistance
- The path from visceral obesity and insulin resistance to atherosclerosis and heart disease
- Other types of heart disease, e.g. heart attack, as a result of increased clotting factors, due to high cortisol
- Relaxation techniques and life changes that can be used to treat chronic stress and studies showing effects of these on cortisol levels
This session is sponsored by ZRT Laboratory, LLC (USA)
