Does cortisol actually contribute to belly fat?

Not that I believe the claims made by those companies marketing products to reduce cortisol, a stress hormone they claim contributes to developing belly fat, but I was wondering, forgetting about these "drugs," do increased cortisol levels cause you to store fat in your belly? I don't know if I'm phrasing this right because I'm only doing it from memeory based on commercials, but from what I recall, the commercials discussed how stress causes cortisol levels to rise and in turn, the fat you gain goes to your belly area. So, I would really appreciate it if someone who knows about this would respond, preferably people in the medical field (doctors, nurses, etc..) who can also provide proof (like medical journal articles or links to reputable medical sites). Thanks so much. Oh, and I would hope it goes without saying, but please no rude responses or responses with "I don't know." I'm curious about this and I am looking for serious answers. Thanks again. :)

Cortisol, one of the adrenal glucocorticoids (a.k.a. "steroids") is associated with belly fat (there are links to a couple fo studies below). There are multiple other hormones, such as leptin and insulin, which are associated with fat deposition as well.

The bottom line on those cortisol blockers in the commercials, though, is that they are snake oil. They do not reduce cortisol; in fact, if they did, they would be taken off the market immediately. You need cortisol, and any medication which blocks it could potentially kill you.

Yes, stress casues an increase in cortisol levels that will help increase belly fat.

That was not a stupid question. Good luck!

Actually it does. I don't have time here to go into it all so I'll give you the name of an EXCELLENT book that tells you all you need to know at the end. In this book, it describes the process that causes belly fat in a very simple way. Belly fat is the result of an inflammation process that occurs in the liver. When we have an unhealthy diet, the body has a hard time processing this junk. It sends it to the liver for metabolism and it causes such chaos in the liver (inflammation) that the liver sends out an SOS for help. This triggers the militia (cortisol) from the adrenal gland to gather troups to fight the inflammation. All that fat that has formed from our unhealthy diet is then pushed to a place between the stomach and the omentum (a lacy and large piece of tissue that looks like a net in front of the stomach). When this process occurs over and over, our bellies get bigger and bigger.
This is just a simplification of what happens, but please get the book I have listed below and you will be amazed at how it works. Oh, I forgot, you don't need any of those advertised products. In this book they tell you a common sense eating pattern that will take care of the problem with just healthier lifestyle.