Hormones and sports

Like any communication network, the endocrine system includes signal sources, the signals themselves, and signal receivers. In this case, these are cells that produce hormones, the hormones themselves, and their receptors. Hormones are biologically active substances produced by endocrine glands (endocrine glands) and secreted directly into the blood. Hormones are carried by the blood and affect the activity of various organs, changing biochemical and physiological reactions, causing activation or inhibition of enzymatic processes. Hormones are essentially a key that opens or closes one or another "door" in the human body.

In addition to the classic endocrine organs - the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, testicles, thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pancreas, etc., hormones can be produced by many other cells in the body. In addition to the endocrine effect (that is, the effect on "remote" targets that can only be reached through the circulatory system), hormones can have a paracrine effect (influence on processes in neighboring cells) or even an autocrine effect (influence on processes in the cells that produce them). All hormones can be divided into three large groups: amino acid derivatives (for example, tyrosine or adrenaline), steroid hormones (testosterone, cortisol, estrogens, progestins) and peptide hormones, which are special short amino acid chains. The last group is the most numerous, an example of a peptide hormone is insulin.

In order not to fill your head with theoretical calculations that you will most likely not need in life, let's move on to a direct examination of the hormones in the human body that interest us most.

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Adrenalin

Adrenaline is one of the catecholamines, it is a hormone of the adrenal medulla and extra-adrenal chromaffin tissue. Under the influence of adrenaline, there is an increase in the glucose content in the blood and an increase in tissue metabolism. Adrenaline enhances gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis, inhibits glycogen synthesis in the liver and skeletal muscles, enhances the capture and utilization of glucose by tissues, increasing the activity of glycolytic enzymes. Adrenaline also enhances lipolysis (fat breakdown) and inhibits fat synthesis. In high concentrations, adrenaline enhances protein catabolism. Adrenaline has the ability to increase blood pressure due to the narrowing of blood vessels in the skin and other small peripheral vessels, and to accelerate the breathing rhythm. The content of adrenaline in the blood increases, including with increased muscle work or a decrease in sugar levels. The amount of adrenaline released in the first case is directly proportional to the intensity of the training session.

Adrenaline causes relaxation of the smooth muscles of the bronchi and intestines, dilation of the pupils (due to contraction of the radial muscles of the iris, which have adrenergic innervation).

It is precisely this property of sharply increasing blood sugar levels that has made adrenaline an indispensable tool in bringing patients out of a state of deep hypoglycemia caused by an overdose of insulin.

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Prolactin

For men, prolactin is a hormone with a minus sign. Prolactin is synthesized in the anterior pituitary gland, a small amount of it is also synthesized by peripheral tissues. This hormone consists of 198 amino acids, somewhat resembling the growth hormone in structure. Prolactin stimulates the growth and development of the mammary glands, as well as milk production during pregnancy and after childbirth. In addition, the hormone stimulates water-salt metabolism, delaying the excretion of water and sodium by the kidneys, and stimulates calcium absorption. Among other effects, one can note the stimulation of hair growth. Prolactin also has a modulating effect on the immune system.

Despite the fact that neither childbirth nor breastfeeding threaten men, the male body also synthesizes prolactin. Excess of this hormone in the male body leads to a significant decrease in libido, as well as to a decrease in the level of growth hormone. The result of such excess is fat subjects with a libido at the level of a eunuch.

Conclusion: prolactin levels must be strictly controlled. Bromocriptine is usually used to lower prolactin levels. However, prolactin levels also depend on the ratio of androgens and estrogens in the blood: the former lower the level, the latter raise it. Non-aromatizing steroids definitely do not increase prolactin levels, but aromatizing ones do.

Endorphins

Endorphins are hormones of the pituitary gland, from the point of view of biochemistry they are polypeptide neurotransmitters. Endorphins are released into the blood, as a rule, as a reaction of the body to pain, they are able to dull the pain, and at the same time reduce appetite and cause a feeling of euphoria, a kind of drugs synthesized by the body for its own needs.

Interestingly, exercise is a great stimulus for releasing endorphins into the blood. And after several months of regular exercise, the body becomes more sensitive to endorphins. For you and me, this means that regular weight training allows us to set new goals for ourselves, in terms of increasing the duration of our workouts, their frequency, and intensity.

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Glucagon

Like insulin, glucagon is produced by the cells of the pancreas, but it performs the opposite function - it increases blood sugar levels. There are two main functions of glucagon in the body. The first is that when blood sugar levels are too low, this hormone initiates the release of carbohydrates from the liver into the general bloodstream, which ultimately brings blood sugar levels back to normal. The second is to activate the process of glycogen synthesis in the liver. This process also includes the conversion of amino acids into glucose.

Research shows that exercise can increase the liver's sensitivity to glucagon, meaning that regular exercise also exercises the liver, increasing its ability to quickly restore glycogen lost during toning.