- Source type
- Review
- Access type
- Abstract/index
- Publisher
- Nature Reviews Disease Primers
- Indexed by
- PubMed
- Added
- 2026-07-01
Trust profile
VV Source Trust Matrix v1.0
VV Source Trust Matrix v1.0 asks whether this source is trustworthy for the claim lane being used, not whether every possible claim from it is equally strong.
91
Government health research
- Publisher type
- Government research
- Bias profile
- Low
This source is strongest for safety and clinical outcomes and weaker for consumer context and regulatory status.
VV Source Fit Score 1.0
Fit by use case
Fit scores are role-specific. A source can be excellent for one claim lane and weak for another.
- Regulatory status
- 66/100
- Context Source
- Clinical outcomes
- 90/100
- Primary Anchor
- Mechanism
- 90/100
- Primary Anchor
- Safety
- 92/100
- Primary Anchor
- Consumer context
- 88/100
- Strong Support
- Trial discovery
- 89/100
- Strong Support
Best used for
- Research synthesis
- Public-health context
- Safety resources
Weak for
- Primary endpoint extraction when a study is available
Used in Viral Vitalism
Cortisol Is Real. The Internet Turned It Into a Boogeyman.
Roles: Supporting evidence
Cushing syndrome review
Roles: Supporting evidence
Show section-level references
Claim ledger
Claims supported
Reviewed claim cards that cite this source in the evidence graph.
cortisol: Cortisol can relate to appetite, fat distribution, and stress
Cortisol can relate to appetite, fat distribution, and stress physiology, but social-media cortisol-belly claims overstate what body shape alone can reveal.
cortisol: Face-shape changes should not be interpreted as cortisol proof
Face-shape changes should not be interpreted as cortisol proof because swelling, weight change, medication effects, sleep, alcohol, inflammation, and endocrine disease require different explanations.
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What happens when you drink a cortisol cocktail
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Endocrine Society: Adrenal Fatigue
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- Trust score
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- Publisher
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Endocrine Society: Cushing Syndrome
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- Trust score
- 82
- Publisher
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- Access
- Publisher
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- 10 connections
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- Trust score
- 88
- Publisher
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- Access
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Ashwagandha stress and anxiety systematic review and meta-analysis
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- Trust score
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- Publisher
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- Access
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