A lot of my patients have asked me about Apple’s Steve Jobs’ recently reported hormone imbalance (as seen in Monday’s USA Today article) and I wanted to take the opportunity to address the question.
There are a couple of things that he could be talking about.
First, the stress of the cancer has caused a “cortisol steal” which diverted his hormone production from his sex hormones to cortisol production. This would cause a drop in testosterone and would decrease his body’s ability to maintain lean muscle mass. Many men start to gain fat at this point instead if they take in too many calories, but he may not be taking in too many so there is a weight loss. Connected to that is the fact the a high cortisol state causes the breakdown of muscle and protein to produce sugar. One of cortisol’s jobs is to maintain a blood sugar supply so there is energy available to fight or flee.
In his case, due to the pancreatic cancer diagnosis, he may also have an imbalance in insulin or pancreatic enzymes which is inhibiting his ability to properly absorb nutrients which would contribute to weight loss. He may be replacing the enzymes and balancing intestinal bacteria to enhance his absorption of nutrients.
Given the sketchy information in the article, it’s impossible to tell what might really be happening.
I hope this has answered some questions.
Alicia Stanton MD
BodyLogicMD Manchester, Connecticut