Endocrine system - functions. How the endocrine system works
The content of the article
The job of the endocrine system is to control all physiological functions of the body. This complex network of glands located in different parts of the body is responsible for homeostasis - internal balance.
Endocrine system
Along with the nervous system and regulation at the tissue level, the endocrine system forms a highly specialized internal “processor” that controls all our vital parameters. When any part of the hormonal computer goes wrong, we immediately feel it.
What are the symptoms of hormonal disorders? Unpleasant sensations may arise from various organs; it also happens that other glands try to take over the functions of those that have stopped working properly.
Insulin resistance, its symptoms and methods of correction
If the state of elevated insulin levels persists for a long time and is not corrected in any way, insulin resistance occurs. Insulin resistance
- this is the insensitivity of cells to insulin, the inability for cells, figuratively speaking, to take glucose for use. As a result, the pancreas produces even more insulin to help glucose enter the cell. And as long as it is able to produce enough insulin, your sugar levels will remain normal.
This is why in people with insulin resistance, sugar levels can remain normal for a long time. Insulin resistance is a risk factor for a variety of diseases and conditions, such as metabolic syndrome, fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis, hypertension, polycystic ovary syndrome and others.
The problem is that insulin resistance may not manifest itself in any way and may exist even in people with a normal body mass index. However, there are still some risk factors, namely
:
- Overweight or obesity.
- Age 45 years and above, although this disease is rapidly becoming younger.
- Family history of type 2 diabetes.
- Passive lifestyle.
- Hypertension and elevated low-density cholesterol.
- History of gestational diabetes.
- Polycystic disease.
Insulin resistance does not manifest itself for a long time, but there are a number of symptoms that can make you pay attention to this problem
:
- Papillomas, especially their accumulation in the same places - often the neck.
- Hyperpigmentation in skin folds, known as acanthosis nigricans.
- Retinopathy.
- Hunger intolerance, drowsiness after eating.
- High blood pressure.
To correct insulin resistance, changes in diet and lifestyle are used primarily. Nutrition certainly influences insulin resistance. Minimum measures we can take
:
- It is necessary to eliminate sugar, eating only complex carbohydrates and some simple carbohydrates from fruits and berries with less fructose.
- Limit consumption of dairy products due to their high insulin index.
- Reduce coffee and caffeinated drinks to 1-2 per day.
- Reduce the number of calories adequate to their consumption.
- Avoid snacking on foods that increase insulin levels in the blood.
Often, a keto or LCHF diet is used to restore insulin sensitivity. Its essence is to reduce carbohydrate intake to a minimum and high fat intake. This type of eating encourages the body to burn fat as its main source of fuel (not only the fat that a person consumes in his diet, but also that stored in his body).
The approximate distribution of BJU on the LCHF diet is as follows - 20/65/15%, while on the keto diet carbohydrates are limited to 5%.
Pituitary gland – pituitary hormones (prolactin, endorphins, ACTH hormone and TSH hormone
The pituitary gland stimulates the growth of long bones and body growth, regulates metabolism, is responsible for the secretion and maintenance of milk in nursing mothers, stimulates the breakdown of excess fat, and also influences the development and function of the testes or ovaries. The pituitary hormones it produces include prolactin, endorphins, ACTH hormone and TSH hormone.
Pituitary hormones
The pancreas is an important multifunctional organ in the digestive system and metabolic processes. This is a large gland that performs exocrine and intrasecretory functions. Exocrine functions consist of the production of pancreatic juice - digestive enzymes that promote the breakdown of carbohydrates, fats and proteins of food and its absorption by the body. The intrasecretory function is to produce hormones that are released directly into the blood and regulate carbohydrate metabolism. Hormones are produced by insulin cells located between the lobules of the gland and are called pancreatic islets or islets
of Langerhans . These cells produce hormones:
- Insulin
- Glucagon
- Pancreatic polypeptide or C-peptide.
Insulin and glucagon are hormones that have opposite physiological effects on carbohydrate metabolism. Insulin is synthesized by the beta cells of the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas. Its main functions:
- Reduces blood glucose concentrations,
- promotes the accumulation of glucose in liver tissues in the form of glycogen,
- stimulates glycogen synthesis in muscles,
- enhances the synthesis of proteins and fats, stimulates their storage by the body as a source of energy,
- inhibits the activity of enzymes that break down proteins and fats.
Thus, insulin is an important regulator of intermediate metabolism. It accumulates in the pancreatic tissue and when the amount of glucose in the blood increases, it enters the blood and is additionally synthesized. Impaired insulin secretion due to the destruction of beta cells and a decrease in its quantity leads to type 1 diabetes mellitus
.
Violation of the effect of insulin on tissues leads to type 2 diabetes mellitus
.
The normal level of insulin in the blood of a healthy person is 3-20 µU/ml. The insulin test must be taken on an empty stomach; you can only drink water. Elevated insulin levels can occur for various reasons:
- pancreatic diseases,
- diabetes,
- physical activity and stress,
- pregnancy,
- obesity,
- acromegaly.
Another pancreatic hormone, glucagon , is produced by the alpha cells of the pancreas. It helps to increase the concentration of glucose in the blood by converting it from glycogen in the liver and maintains the blood glucose level at a constant level. It also lowers blood cholesterol levels, stimulates blood flow in the kidneys and promotes liver regeneration. Impaired glucagon synthesis occurs with pancreatic tumors. C-peptide is not a hormone, it is part of the pro-insulin molecule, which is not active and does not enter into biochemical reactions; insulin is formed from it. The C-peptide test is used to diagnose diabetes mellitus, pancreatic and liver tumors. The normal level of C-peptide in the blood is 0.7-4.0 ng/l; in urine 15.5-28.0 ng/l. It increases with tumors, pancreatitis, and excessive insulin synthesis. Decreases in type 1 diabetes mellitus, stress, and excess insulin after administration.
Thyroid gland – thyroid hormones (thyroxine, triiodothyronine, calcitonin)
Thyroid hormones affect the functioning of the entire body, and the most important of them are: triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), calcitonin.
The thyroid gland is regulated by thyrotropin (TSH), produced by the pituitary gland, as well as by hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, including Hashimoto's disease, one of the most common hormonal disorders today.
Pancreas – pancreatic hormones – glucagon, insulin
The most important hormones of the pancreas are glucagon, which stimulates blood glucose levels to rise, and insulin, which lowers blood sugar levels.
Biological role of glucagon
In a healthy person, insulin works with glucagon to maintain the required level of energy in the body. The most well-known disease of the pancreas is diabetes, caused by impaired insulin secretion or tissue sensitivity to the hormone. The most common types of diabetes are type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes.
The concept of insulin and its functions
In the human body, everything is thought out to the smallest detail. Each organ or system is responsible for certain processes. By disrupting the functioning of one of them, you can say goodbye to good health once and for all. Of course, many of us have heard about hormones as certain substances that are produced by certain glands. They are different in their chemical composition, but they also have common properties - to be responsible for the metabolism in the human body, and therefore for its good functioning.
Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas, or more precisely, by formations located in its very depths. In medicine they are also called islets of Langerhans-Sobolev. By the way, note that insulin is a hormone that affects almost all functions in the human body. It belongs to the peptide series and is created to qualitatively saturate all cells of the body with necessary substances.
The pancreatic hormone insulin is capable of transporting potassium, various amino acids, and most importantly, glucose through the blood. The latter is responsible for the balance of carbohydrates. The scheme is this: you eat food, the level of glucose in the body increases, therefore, the level of insulin in the blood increases. We often hear in medicine about such a substance as insulin. Everyone immediately associates it with diabetes. But to answer a simple question: “Insulin is a hormone of what, an organ or a tissue? Or maybe it is produced by the whole system?” - not every person can.
The action of the hormone insulin is to ensure normal nutrition of all cells of the body. It is primarily responsible for establishing the balance of carbohydrates in the human body. But when the pancreas malfunctions, protein and fat metabolism simultaneously suffer. Keep in mind that insulin is a protein hormone, which means it can enter the human stomach from the outside, but it will be quickly digested there and not absorbed at all.
The action of the hormone insulin is to influence most enzymes. But its main task, according to scientists and doctors, is the timely reduction of glucose in the blood. Doctors often prescribe a special test that will clearly reveal whether the patient’s insulin hormone is elevated or not. Thus, it is possible to determine whether the patient’s ailments are associated with incipient diabetes mellitus or with another disease. Of course, you can live with such a diagnosis, the main thing is to detect it in time and begin supportive therapy.
The main task of insulin
- maintain a relatively constant safe level of glucose in the blood. Excessive production of the hormone leads to its rapid binding to glucose, as well as blocking the fat-burning enzyme and fat accumulation. Therefore, it is important to monitor the insulin response of the foods consumed.
It is necessary to increase the proportion of products with predominantly low and medium levels of AI, which minimize surges in blood glucose, do not overload the liver with unnecessary work, and saturate the body with essential nutrients for a longer period of time.
Male hormones
The male gonads, located in the scrotum, perform two main functions - reproductive (sperm production) and hormonal, as the site of production of male sex hormones. Their work is regulated by hormones produced by the pituitary gland.
Male androgens are steroid hormones, of which testosterone plays the most important role. Its activities include sex formation and the development of secondary sexual characteristics, stimulating the development and maturation of sperm, and regulating sexual desire.
Hormonal disorders
All alarming symptoms that may indicate dysfunction of one or more endocrine glands should be reported to an endocrinologist. In any case, only this doctor treats such disorders, and when contacting another specialist, he will still redirect the patient to a hormonal specialist - an endocrinologist.
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Differences between the insulin index and the glycemic index
The development of research technologies and modern instruments have made it possible to conduct a number of studies and accurately estimate not only the amount of glucose that enters the blood, but also the time during which insulin helps to get rid of it.
The introduction of the concept of the insulin index was also inspired by the knowledge of the fact that not only carbohydrates command the pancreas to produce insulin. Meat and fish - products that do not contain carbohydrates or are characterized by a low content of them, during digestion, also contribute to the release of insulin into the blood.
Insulin index (II)
– a value that characterizes a food product from the point of view of the insulin response to it.
This indicator is especially important for type 1 diabetics and allows you to more accurately predict the amount of insulin injection. It would also do well for those watching their figure to pay more attention to this indicator. The fact is that when the level of glucose in the blood increases excessively, the pancreas has to produce more insulin to absorb the excess sugar. And when sugar drops below a certain level, a person begins to feel hungry again.
In addition, increased work of the pancreas over a long period depletes it and leads to metabolic disorders and hormone production. Products with a very high AI, moreover, give the body a signal to store fat and block lipase, the main fat-burning enzyme. But food with a low and medium insulin index does not cause a sharp jump in blood sugar levels, does not overload the pancreas with work, and a person feels full longer.
The main difference between the glycemic index and the insulin index is the different measurement of indicators. That is, the main task of GI is to measure glucose (therefore, for the most part, this indicator is applied to carbohydrates), and AI is to measure insulin (applies to any products, even those that do not contain carbohydrates). This is where the main difference lies.
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The glycemic index and insulin index are not always proportional to each other. For example, cottage cheese causes a very large release of insulin, although it has a low glycemic index and contains virtually no carbohydrates. That is, cottage cheese slightly increases blood sugar, but there is still a strong insulin response. This is a very important point, especially if you want to burn fat, because insulin interferes with weight loss. If you want to achieve good results, then when planning your diet you need to take both indicators into account, since each is important in its own way.
