Chemistry of Life
Under the power of hormones
They affect the mood, the stability of family life, professional success and even health "second half". These chemicals are literally "lead" person for life.
Humanities and biologists often argue that the same plays a crucial role in the formation of personality: genes or environment? Or maybe both? And occasionally it comes to very different internal power-on hormones, those same chemicals that transmit information between the organs and tissues of the human body.
In human life does not often happen situations where the hormones are not playing a major role. It affects the body by controlling its growth, provoking a feeling of hunger, they influence the thinking, human behavior, and even feelings of fear, hatred or love.
Moreover, hormones build character. "I am convinced that the hormones - is the key to understanding our behavior and our personality," says endocrinologist Martin Vabich from the German city of Ulm. According to him, the individual "hormonal balance" man forms his habits and character.
Currently, scientists know of about 150 of hormones, but it is supposed that it is more than them. All the hormones act the same way: with special receptors, through which they pass on their information to the cells of individual organs.
Hormones are produced endocrine glands, majority of them moved into the body by the circulatory system.
For example, the pancreas produces insulin, which regulates blood sugar levels; genitals produces female and male sex steroids, adrenal glands - the stress hormone adrenalin.
Some hormones directly affect the behavior and emotions. For example, the sex hormone progesterone has soothing effect, improves mood serotonin, cortisol is released into the situation of stress.
At the "hormonal balance" affects not only human genes, hormones, or lifestyle. Hormones never act on their own, because the work of the endocrine glands affect genes. For example, high or low levels of testosterone in men is inherited. Hormones affect and style of life: food, sports, stress, positive and negative emotions - all this affects the hormonal balance of the organism. For example, excess weight increases the level of the ostrogen.
Often occurring in the body complex interaction of genes, hormones and external influences. For example, with age in some women, so increased levels of cortisol in the blood to levels corresponding to levels of patients with depression. However, not all women with menopause suffer from a bad mood. "This requires presence of several factors," said Isabella Hoyzer, director of clinical psychiatry at the Berlin Hospital Charite, studied the work of hormones in the elderly. "Some women have a genetic propensity to depression, which could not previously apparent, but with age may be triggered by hormonal changes. Bad moods can trigger and "external" factors: the withdrawal of home grown up children or divorce.
This provoked a storm of feelings first big hormonal changes in the body: sexual maturation. Scientists are still unsure exactly how and why the hypothalamus (the region of the brain), about the eighth year of life causes an increased allocation of sex hormones in the organism. One suggestion: the selection of sex hormones starts when you reach a certain body fat content.
The girls at the same time suffer from mood changes caused by the sex hormone estradiol. The boys in the same body produces the hormone testosterone, they become young men - aggressive and decisive.
Sex hormones influence the attractiveness of the person, and the choice of partners - estradiol in women and testosterone in men lead to the formation of secondary sexual characteristics.
Oxytocin causes couples listen to each other. Hormones determine the stability of family relationships, the scientists said. Oxytocin is especially well investigated in this respect, produced in the female body. In particular, he produced a large number of the body feeding mothers. But it is also important for the partnership. This newly discovered, scientists from the University of Zurich (Switzerland). As part of the experiment they staged a debate on the sensitive issue, with one group of participants was given oxytocin, and the other a placebo. The result: those who received injections of the hormone, listening to others carefully, often accepted, and even laughed.
School performance can also be caused by hormone. For example, a large number of receptors in the brain of the ostrogen has a positive effect on learning ability. And if the thyroid gland produces not enough hormones such as T3 and T4, which regulate the following other energy metabolism in the body, decreasing the concentration.
"Parents are surprised poor grades children go to the doctor and heard the diagnosis: lack of the thyroid gland," says endocrinologist Martin Vabich. With the help of medicines hormone levels can change.
Testosterone determines professional success. Individual levels of testosterone can affect even the success of his career. Researchers from the University of Cambridge found that during the observation brokers of London Exchange. The greater the level of testosterone in the body broker in the morning - the more he has entered into transactions during the working day.
With age, testosterone levels decline. Man's body adapts to it, and the specific complaints about the state does not do. Over the years, however, together with testosterone reduced muscle mass and bone mass, decreased sexual desire.
However, the "male menopause" - is a myth, says Isabella Hoyzer. As well as the so-called "andropause", about which so much talk-called followers of the notorious "anti-aging medicine. While in the men's body is reduced allocation of testosterone gradually and imperceptibly, the female body ceases allocation of estrogen much more rapidly - so begins menopause. Most women complain at this point to the steps fever, irritability, loss of appetite and insomnia.
In such a situation can be treated by injection of hormones. But before deciding on them, should think hard: too high a risk of heart and vascular diseases of breast cancer.