This focuses on the digestive system's hormones and how they control various digestive functions and metabolic processes, including digestion, absorption, and energy balance.
Hormones: Chemical messengers produced by endocrine glands that regulate physiological processes in the body.
Endocrine glands: Organs that produce and secrete hormones into the bloodstream.
Hormone receptors: Proteins on cell surfaces or within cells that bind to specific hormones and trigger cellular responses.
Feedback loops: Mechanisms that maintain homeostasis in the body by regulating hormone production and release.
Hypothalamus: A part of the brain that regulates many hormone-producing glands.
Pituitary gland: A gland at the base of the brain that produces many hormones, including growth hormone and thyroid-stimulating hormone.
Thyroid gland: A gland in the neck that produces hormones that regulate metabolism.
Parathyroid glands: Small glands on or near the thyroid gland that regulate calcium levels in the blood.
Adrenal glands: Glands on top of the kidneys that produce hormones that regulate stress responses and mineral balance.
Pancreas: A gland behind the stomach that produces insulin and other hormones that regulate blood sugar levels.
Gonads: Reproductive organs that produce hormones such as testosterone and estrogen.
Reproductive hormones: Hormones that regulate the development and function of reproductive organs and processes.
Endocrine disruptors: Chemicals that interfere with hormone production and function, and can have negative effects on health.