The Interaction of Exercise, Stress, and Inflammation on Growth

The body’s main stress axis, the hypothalamic-pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis, has profound effects on growth and immune function that can impact health well into adulthood. In the short term, elevations in cortisol, the main stress hormone in humans, promote a catabolic state to allow for short-term defense against stressors that may be psychological or physiological in nature. In the long term, however, elevations in glucocorticoids from either …