Hormone: Adrenaline (Epinephrine)
Produced by: Adrenal Glands
Function: To prepare the body for fight or flight response in times of stress. It increases the heart rate, blood pressure, the size of the pupil in the eye.
Hormone: Aldosterone (Electrocortin)
Produced by: Adrenal Glands
Function: It helps to maintain blood pH by regulating blood levels of sodium, potassium and hydrogen.
Hormone: Cortisol (Hydrocortisone)
Produced by: Adrenal Glands
Function: Controls blood sugar levels and salt and water balance, regulates metabolism, influences memory formation etc. Blood levels of cortisol are high in the morning and fall later in the day. In people working at night this pattern gets reversed.
Hormone: Calcitonin (Thyrocalcitonin)
Produced by: Thyroid Gland
Function: It helps in regulating the levels of calcium and phosphate in the blood.
Hormone: Thyroxine (T4)
Produced by: Thyroid Gland
Function: It is inactive and most of it is converted in Triiodothyronine by the kidneys and liver.
Hormone: Triiodothyronine (T3)
Produced by: Thyroid Gland
Function: Most of T3 is converted from T4 by the kidneys and liver. It is the active form of Thyroxine and plays an important role in body’s metabolic rate, heart and digestive functions, muscle control, brain development and the maintenance of bones.
Hormone: Parathyroid Hormone
Produced by: Parathyroid Glands
Function: It regulates the levels of calcium in the blood.
Hormone: Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) (Thyrotropin)
Produced by: Pituitary Gland
Function: It controls production of the thyroid hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine.
Hormone: Prolactin
Produced by: Pituitary Gland
Function: Promotes the production of milk. It has several other functions in the body.
Hormone: Somatotropin (Growth Hormone)
Produced by: Pituitary Gland
Function: Promotes growth in children, maintains normal body structure and metabolism in adults.
Hormone: Erythropoietin (EPO)
Produced by: Kidneys
Function: It stimulates bone marrow to increase the production of red blood cells and it also acts on red blood cells to protect them against destruction.
Hormone: Vitamin D (Calcitriol)
Produced by: Kidneys
Function: Only 10% is received from food, the rest being manufactured in the body. Vitamin D is important for the absorption of calcium from food and also for the formation of new bone in children and adults.