7 Hormone Facts Everyone Should Know

Hormones are chemicals that send messages and regulate different functions in the body. Good hormone levels are key to physical and emotional well-being. Here are some facts about hormones that everyone might find informative.

1. Glands Are Not the Only Place Hormones Are Produced

While glands produce many hormones, other organs and tissues produce critical ones. Here are some examples:

• When there’s food in the stomach, the stomach lining, or mucosa, produces the hormone gastrin. This stimulates the production of hydrochloride and pepsin, which break down the food.
• The small intestine mucosa produces secretin and cholecystokinin. Secretin signals the pancreas to produce a bicarbonate fluid that neutralizes stomach acid, and cholecystokinin tells the gallbladder to contract and release bile.
• Adipose tissue—body fat—releases several hormones, including leptin, which helps the body maintain its weight by triggering the feeling of being satiated.
• Special cells in the walls of the heart’s atria produce atriopeptin. This moderates the body’s fluid and electrolyte homeostasis.

2. Vitamin D is Both a Vitamin and a Hormone

Vitamin D is known as a vitamin (from the Latin root vita, meaning life) because it’s essential for the body’s functioning. However, because Vitamin D regulates the functioning of cells and organs, it is also a hormone. Vitamin D promotes the absorption of calcium and phosphorus in the gut. In addition, its presence helps maintain the calcium levels needed for bone growth and health. This versatile hormone also has a hand in numerous other essential body functions. For example, it helps with muscle contractions and transfer signals in the nervous system. It also is involved in the immune system and wards off inflammation.

3. Testosterone is More Than Just a Sex Hormone

Testosterone has a major effect on sex organs, libido, and male sexual development. But it also helps the body develop and maintain a healthy structure. It helps regulate bone density, fat distribution, muscle mass, and hair growth. Testosterone also plays a role in red blood cell production. In men, testosterone is produced in the gonads; in women, it is produced in the ovaries and adrenal glands. In all people, low testosterone levels can not only negatively affect sexual function but can also cause a decline in a person’s physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being.

4. Thyroid Hormone Levels Lower With Age

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the neck. Critically, it produces the hormones thyroxine (T-4) and triiodothyronine (T-3). These regulate the body’s metabolism (how it uses fats and carbs), body temperature, heart rate, brain development, and skin and bone health. As people age, the production of these hormones naturally declines.

When this happens, the condition is called hypothyroidism. Fatigue, weight gain, muscle aches, dry skin, and, more often, heart problems characterize hypothyroidism. However, there might not be any symptoms in its early stages. Therefore, it’s important to have regular checkups to monitor your hormone levels as you age. If left untreated, hypothyroidism can cause major problems, such as high cholesterol and heart problems.

5. Hormones Affect Much More than Our Reproductive Health

Hormones such as estrogen and testosterone are well known for their role in fertility and libido. However, there are many hormones, many of which serve multiple functions. For example, cortisol is a stress hormone that regulates the metabolism, immune system, and sugar in the bloodstream.

Even estrogen and testosterone affect more than reproductive health. Estrogen and progesterone help maintain the health of critical organs, including the heart, brain, and skin. Testosterone plays a role in the body’s general structure, affecting bone density, muscle mass, fat distribution, and more.

6. Hormones Cannot Make You Taller

The Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is produced in the pituitary gland. Because it drives growth in children, a popular question is, “Can HGH make you taller?” HGH cannot make you taller for adults whose growth plates have fused. Instead, it serves other important functions, such as maintaining your body’s metabolism, structure, and blood glucose levels.

In adults, an HGH deficiency can result in a weaker heart and body fat and negatively affect the muscles and bones. Treatments can increase muscle mass, strengthen bones, improve energy and exercise capacity, and reduce the risk of heart disease. However, because treatments can have a host of adverse side effects, they’re only approved for people with a confirmed HGH deficiency.

7. Hormones Can Affect Your Sleep

Many hormones affect energy levels in the body. Several can also affect the sleep-wake cycle:

• Melatonin regulates the circadian rhythm. The pineal gland triggers its production in response to darkness, signaling the body to prepare for sleep
• Cortisol triggers alertness in response to stimuli, making it difficult to fall or stay asleep.
• Ghrelin, which triggers hunger, tends to increase when sleep is poor. In contrast, high levels of Leptin, or satiety, improve sleep.

Hormones regulate critical processes in the body and ensure their smooth functioning. Knowledge about hormones is important for people interested in maintaining physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being.