What are Hormones?
Hormones are chemicals that carry messages from organs of the body to the cells and work to keep the body’s natural balance. About 50 types of hormones are at work throughout our lives and influence our development, behaviour and wellness, including
- stimulation or inhibition of growth
- immune system function
- metabolism regulation
- tissue repair
- changes in life, such as puberty, parenting and menopause
- reproductive functions
- how our bodies absorb nutrition
- mental functions
- energy levels
- stress levels
- our self-preservation response (‘fight or flight’)
Where do hormones come from?
Eight major endocrine glands form the endocrine system to produce about 50 hormone groups that regulate how we feel and function. The main endocrine glands are the pituitary, pineal, thymus, thyroid, adrenal glands and pancreas. In addition, men produce hormones in their testes, women produce them in their ovaries. Cholesterol also plays an important role as a precursor for the synthesis of various steroid hormones, including cortisol, cortisone, and aldosterone in the adrenal glands, and of the sex hormones progesterone, oestrogen, and testosterone.
See the essential hormones explained in Hormones at a glance.
How are Hormones released?
Every day hormones are released to fit daily body rhythms or the sleep-wake cycle. A few examples:
- Cortisol builds up early in the day, decreases toward evening, rises again toward the end of sleep, and peaks during the morning hours.
- Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) peaks during sleep and reaches its low point three hours after an individual awakens.
- Levels of growth hormone (GH) are high 90 minutes after sleep begins. GH typically increases during the first 2 hours of deep sleep. It also increases if a person is hypoglycemic (low blood sugar), starving, exercising, excited or is a victim of severe injury.
- There is a very definite rise-and-fall pattern to both estrogen and progesterone activity during a woman’s menstrual cycle, which lasts an average of 28 days.
As we age, hormone levels change in response to our health, external factors (stress or chemicals) and life stage.
How hormones change
As we age typically from 25 onwards, we see depletion in the natural level of hormones which can be measured through a variety of blood, saliva and urine tests. This will be impacted by your diet, the amount of exercise you do, stress levels and other external or environmental factors.
Your doctor or health professional will try to restore those levels to former levels through an evaluation of your diet, your level of exercise or through vitamin and/or mineral supplements. If the deficiency cannot be rectified through this approach, they medication may be prescribed. Any decline or imbalance in your hormone levels means your body cannot function properly.
Hormones impact almost every cell and organ of the human body, regulating mood, growth, tissue function, metabolism, skin health and sexual and reproductive function.
There are three key reproductive or ‘sex’ hormones that are all present at different levels in both men and women – oestrogen, progesterone and testosterone. These hormones act as messengers in the body communicating between the cells and effectively telling them what to do. As such, their balance is vital to ensure optimal health and vitality.
There are many factors that can contribute to an imbalance in these hormones, including the natural ageing process environmental toxins, medications, poor diet and nutritional deficiencies, as well as disruption in the function of other body systems. Hormone imbalances in turn can be associated with a number of men’s and women’s conditions, such as mood disorders, immune disorders, mental health, infertility and accelerated effects of ageing.
In addition to these reproductive hormones, there are also other important hormones that must be regulated within the body to achieve optimal health and wellbeing, including thyroid hormones and melatonin.
Bio-identical Hormones and HRT
To manage hormone deficiencies, your healthcare practitioner may consider treatment options in addition to nutritional supplements. These include bio-identical hormones and HRT (hormone replacement therapy).
