Hormones, Health, and Behaviour
Hormones are chemical messengers that coordinate different functions in your body by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, skin, muscles and other tissues. These signals tell your body what to do and when to do it. Hormones are essential for life and your health.
Hormones and most of the tissues (mainly glands) that create and release them make up your endocrine system.
Functions
Hormones control many different bodily processes, including:
- Metabolism
- Homeostasis (constant internal balance), such as blood pressureand blood sugar regulation, fluid (water) and electrolyte balance and body temperature
- Growth and development
- Sexual function
- Reproduction
- Sleep-wake cycle
- Mood
Minor changes in levels can cause significant changes to your body and lead to certain conditions that require medical treatment.
What Do Hormones do?
Hormones manage many bodily processes like that mentioned above. Often, a bodily process involves a chain reaction of several different hormones.
A hormone will only act on a part of your body if its “fits” — if the cells in the target tissue have receptors that receive the message of the hormone. Think of a hormone as a key and the cells of its target tissue, such as an organ or fat tissue, as specially shaped locks. If the hormone fits the lock (receptor) on the cell wall, then it’ll work; the hormone will deliver a message that causes the target site to take a specific action.
Your body uses hormones for two types of communication. The first type is communication between two endocrine glands: One gland releases a hormone, which stimulates another gland to change the levels of hormones that it’s releasing.
The second type of communication is between an endocrine gland and a target organ. An example of this is when your pancreas releases insulin, which then acts on your muscles and liver to help process glucose.
Which body tissues make hormones?
Specialized glands that make up your endocrine system make and release most of the hormones in your body. Endocrine glands release hormones directly into your bloodstream.
Your endocrine system consists of the following glands:
- Hypothalamus.
- Pituitary gland.
- Pineal gland.
- Thyroid.
- Parathyroid glands.
- Thymus
- Adrenal glands.
- Pancreas.
- Ovaries
- Testes.
Other body tissues that release hormones include:
- Adipose tissue(fat tissue).
- Kidneys.
- Liver.
- Gut (gastrointestinal tract).
- Placenta.
Hypothalamus: It controls the body temperature, regulates emotions, hunger, thirst, sleep, moods and allow the production of hormones.
Pituitary: It is also termed as the “master control gland” because, the pituitary gland helps in controlling other glands. Moreover, it develops the hormones that trigger growth and development.
Pineal: Your pineal gland is a tiny gland in your brain. It produces serotonin derivatives of melatonin, which affects sleep patterns.
Thyroid gland Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland located at the front of your neck under your skin. Your thyroid’s main job is to control the speed of your metabolism (metabolic rate), which is the process of how your body transforms the food you consume into energy.
Your thyroid releases the following hormones:
- Thyroxine (T4).
- Triiodothyronine (T3).
- Reverse triiodothyronine (RT3).
- Calcium
Parathyroid: Most people have four pea-sized parathyroid glands located behind their thyroid gland Sometimes, your parathyroid glands are located along your oesophagus or in your chest. These are known as ectopic (in an abnormal place). This gland helps in controlling the amount of calcium present in the body.
Thymus: It helps in the production of T-cells, functioning of the adaptive immune system and maturity of the thymus.
Adrenal: This gland produces the hormones that control the sex drive, cortisol, and stress hormone.
Pancreas: This gland is involved in the production of insulin hormones, which plays a crucial role in maintaining blood sugar levels.
Testes: In men, the testes secrete the male sex hormone, testosterone. It also produces sperm.
Ovaries: In the female reproductive system, the ovaries release oestrogen, progesterone, testosterone, and other female sex hormones.
Adipose tissue Adipose tissue is commonly known as body fat. It’s located all over your body, including under your skin, around internal organs, between muscles, in bone marrow and breast tissue makes and releases the following hormones:
- Leptin
- Adiponectin
- Plasminogen activator inhibitor 1
- Oestrogen
- Angiotensin
Kidneys
Your kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that filter your blood. They’re part of your urinary system, but they also produce hormones, including:
- Erythropoietin
- Renin
- The active form of vitamin D (vitamin D isn’t a vitamin — it’s a prohormone, which is a substance that your body converts into a hormone).
Liver
Your liver is an essential organ and gland, performing hundreds of functions necessary to sustain life. It’s considered part of your digestive system, but also produces hormones, including:
- Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1).
- Angiotensinogen.
Gut (gastrointestinal tract)
Your gut (gastrointestinal tract) is the long, connected tube that starts at your mouth and ends at your anus. It’s responsible for digestion. These hormones include:
- Ghrelin
- Somatostatin.
- Glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1).
Placenta
The placenta is a temporary organ that develops in your uterus during pregnancy. It provides oxygen and nutrients to the developing foetus. The placenta produces the hormones oestrogen and progesterone to maintain the pregnancy.
All these glands work together to produce and manage the hormones of the body.
List of Important Hormones
- Cortisol– It has been named as the “stress hormone” as it helps the body in responding to stress. This is done by increasing the heart rate, elevating blood sugar levels etc.
- Oestrogen–This is the main sex hormone present in women which bring about puberty, prepares the uterus and body for pregnancy and even regulates the menstrual cycle. Oestrogen level changes during menopause because of which women experience many uncomfortable symptoms.
- Melatonin– It primarily controls the circadian rhythm or sleep cycles.
- Progesterone– It is a female sex hormone also responsible for menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and embryogenesis.
- Testosterone– This is the most important sex hormone synthesized in men, which cause puberty, muscle mass growth, and strengthen the bones and muscles, increase bone density, and controls facial hair growth.
HORMONAL IMBALANCE
When you have a hormonal imbalance, you have too much or too little of a certain hormone. Even tiny changes can have serious effects throughout your whole body.
A hormonal imbalance has many possible causes. They can differ depending on which hormones or glands are affected.
Some hormone levels fluctuate throughout your lifetime and may just be the result of natural aging. But each hormone-related condition can have several different possible causes. In general, the main conditions or situations that cause hormone imbalances include:
- Hormone therapy
- Medications
- Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy
- Tumours, whether cancerousor benign
- Pituitary tumours
- Eating disorders
- Stress
- Injury or trauma
- Hereditary gene mutations that cause problems with the structure and/or function of an endocrine gland
What conditions are caused by hormonal imbalance?
There are many medical conditions that are caused by hormone issues. These often require treatment. Some of the most common hormone-related conditions include:
- Diabetes, including Type 2 diabetes, Type 1 diabetesand gestational diabetes
- Thyroid disease, including hypothyroidism(low thyroid hormone levels) and hyperthyroidism (high thyroid hormone levels)
- Irregular menstruation (periods), caused by polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), amenorrheaand anovulation
- Female infertility
- Male infertility— more specifically, low testosterone levels (hypogonadism).
- Obesity
Gigantism(acromegaly) and other growth hormone problems. If the pituitary gland produces too much growth hormone, a child’s bones and body parts may grow abnormally fast. If growth hormone levels are too low, a child can stop growing in height.
DIAGNOSIS & TREATMENT
The symptoms of an endocrine disorder vary widely and depend on the specific gland involved. However, most people with endocrine disease complain of fatigue and weakness.
Blood and urine tests to check your hormone levels can help your doctors determine if you have an endocrine disorder. Imaging tests may be done to help locate or pinpoint a nodule or tumour.
Treatment of endocrine disorders can be complicated, as a change in one hormone level can throw off another. If you have an endocrine disorder, your doctor may refer you to a specialist called an endocrinologist. An endocrinologist is specially trained in problems with the endocrine system.
Your doctor or specialist may order routine blood work to check for problems or to determine if your medication or treatment plan needs to be adjusted.
OUTLOOK
Hormones are an important and essential part of human existence. While your body normally carefully balances its hormones, having too little or too much of a certain hormone can lead to health problems. If you’re experiencing any concerning symptoms, it’s important to talk to your healthcare provider. They can order tests to see if you have a hormone imbalance or if something else is causing your symptoms.
