If you’ve spent any time scrolling through health-related TikToks lately, you’ve probably heard about cortisol. High levels of the so-called “stress hormone” are being blamed for fatigue, headaches, weight gain, mood swings, anxiety, poor sleep, and a dozen other symptoms. But cortisol isn’t the bad guy, Tufts researchers said. “All animals, including humans, produce a baseline level of cortisol or a nearly identical hormone called corticosterone,” said Michael Romero, a professor of biology at Tufts University who studies stress responses. “It is absolutely critical for survival. If you remove or Read More