Five years is actually not a long time for science to understand a process as complex as the pathways of the oil after a large spill. Some of the impacts of the Deepwater Horizon spill on the marine life and ecosystems of the Gulf of Mexico will only become visible in future years. We use oil products daily.
First the researchers examined the effects of lowering cortisol to below a normal (or baseline) level. Then they compared the effects of low, medium, high, and very high cortisol levels in patients undergoing cardiac surgery, a procedure that causes a lot of inflammation.
How Cortisol Weakens the Immune System. Cortisol weakens your immune system for a good reason. During periods of intense stress, as though you were about to face a predator, cortisol is trying to help reduce inflammation by weakening some of the antibodies that can increase inflammation.