The GAPS discussion of adrenal function brings together stress responses, nourishment and the gut environment. In Gut and Physiology Syndrome, Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride explains what the adrenal glands produce, then describes how she believes ongoing toxic load and reliance on stimulants can affect their work. Understanding those parts is more useful than deciding that every tired afternoon means the same thing.[1]
What the Adrenal Glands Produce
The adrenal glands sit above the kidneys. The book describes adrenaline and noradrenaline alongside steroid hormones involved in energy use, blood pressure and the body’s response to stress. These are different hormone groups: adrenaline is not a steroid, while cortisol and aldosterone are.[1]
Aldosterone helps regulate salt, fluid balance and blood pressure. The acute stress response also changes energy availability and circulation. Campbell-McBride uses that response as the starting point for her discussion of longer-lasting demands on the body.[1]
Acute Stress and Ongoing Strain
A short response to danger and an ongoing health problem are different situations. The book connects environmental exposures, microbial byproducts, food reactions and nutritional difficulties with continuing strain. It calls the resulting pattern “adrenal exhaustion” and places it within the broader GAPS endocrine framework.[1]
That is the author’s model of the relationship. It does not identify an individual adrenal disorder from fatigue alone. The companion symptom-list guide preserves the full pattern she names without turning it into a diagnostic score.
Why Stimulants Appear in the Chapter
Campbell-McBride describes afternoon fatigue followed by increasing reliance on coffee. She also names tea, sugar, chocolate and smoking as stimulants in this discussion. Her concern is a repeating pattern of temporary stimulation while the underlying strain remains.[1]
A useful observation is specific: when energy drops, what you reach for, how much and what happens to sleep afterward. The stimulant discussion is not a new permanent food-ban list for every GAPS reader. Use the actual GAPS food list and the guidance for your phase.
Food Support in the GAPS Source
The book emphasizes fresh meat, fish, eggs and high-fat fermented dairy, with homemade meat stock and gelatinous meats among its examples of nourishing foods. It describes these foods as supporting the structure and work of the glands. This is the source’s food framework, not a promise that a particular meal repairs a gland by a set date.[1]
The official FAQ adds animal fats and cholesterol-rich foods such as egg yolks, sour cream, butter and fatty fish. Food form and introduction still matter: a dairy example does not bypass tolerance or the GAPS dairy sequence.[2]
In our family, one pot of meat stock starts first thing in the morning so everyone can drink it or have soup through the day. What goes into it changes with the budget, time and what is in the fridge. That daily routine is what made GAPS doable for us. Our Full GAPS daily rhythm shows the household side of that work.
Cholesterol and Steroid Hormones
The chapter says cholesterol comes from production within the body as well as the bloodstream and is used to make steroid hormones. Its discussion is broader than dietary cholesterol alone. The hormones-and-repair guide explains the biological role, while the food-source guide makes the meal examples easier to find.[1]
The book also names glandular supplements and several herbs. Naming them in a chapter does not provide a personal dose or combination. Keep the exact product, its purpose and current prescribed treatment together when discussing a supplement.
Sleep and Stress Belong in the Picture
The FAQ calls sleep essential and suggests a good night’s sleep and an afternoon nap. It also emphasizes the way a person experiences and responds to stress. Those recommendations belong alongside nourishment, rather than treating rest as an afterthought.[2]
A practical household question is what would make rest possible: a meal already prepared, help with one task or a quieter part of the day. That is different from blaming someone’s symptoms on a negative attitude or promising that a change of outlook will resolve an endocrine condition.
Keep the Clinical Question Clear
Diagnosed adrenal insufficiency is a specific medical condition requiring hormone replacement, not a condition confirmed by this article’s stress explanation. Continue prescribed treatment. If a person with adrenal insufficiency is vomiting and cannot keep steroid medicine down, immediate medical attention is needed; food and rest do not replace crisis treatment.[3]
For help organizing the food, home and routine parts of GAPS together, this is the relevant companion. GAPS Lifestyle is listed in my course catalog.
Return to the GAPS hormones and endocrine-health guide for the wider picture and the related guides.
References
- Campbell-McBride, N. Gut and Physiology Syndrome (2020), “Hormones,” “Abnormal adrenal function,” stress responses, stimulant discussion, food support, cholesterol and glandular/herbal context.
- Campbell-McBride, N. Official GAPS FAQs, Adrenals, question 1, animal foods, sleep and stress.
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Treatment for Adrenal Insufficiency & Addison’s Disease, hormone replacement and urgent care when steroid medicine cannot be retained.
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