The Endocrine System And Nutrition

The endocrine system and nutrition intertwine to help you sustain health. The endocrine system secretes hormones into the bloodstream to regulate your body, and eating different types of foods can affect certain hormones, which in turn increase or decrease your risk of disease. A balanced diet of healthy foods enhances the function of your endocrine system, whereas eating an unhealthy diet increases the risk of hormonal imbalance. Consult your doctor about the endocrine system and nutrition.

Sugar and Insulin

Insulin is a hormone that transports sugar from the blood into your cells. Under normal conditions, the pancreas secretes insulin when blood sugar levels increase following a carbohydrate-containing meal. However, type 1 diabetics are unable to produce insulin, and type 2 diabetics are resistant to insulin, meaning their bodies cannot use the hormone effectively. Both types of diabetes are characterized by high blood sugar levels. Eating low glycemic foods can help you control your blood sugar when you have diabetes. Low glycemic foods contain carbohydrates that your body slowly absorbs into the blood, preventing spikes in blood sugar and insulin and reducing risk of complications, including cardiovascular disease and weight gain.

Fat and Sex Hormones

Cancer is characterized by the development of abnormal cells that multiply, infiltrate and destroy normal body tissue. Food intake alters levels of sex hormones and incidence of breast cancer. Scientists at Lund University in Malmo, Sweden, examined the association between food intake and breast cancer incidence and found that fat-containing foods, such as margarine and vegetable oil, increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer accompanied by changes to estrogen and progesterone receptors on breast tumor cells. The research was published in "Nutrition and Cancer" in July 2011.

Hunger, Leptin and Ghrelin

Leptin and ghrelin are hormones that decrease and increase your hunger, respectively. Hunger leads to increased food consumption, which in turn increases your body weight and fat. Leptin is a hormone made and stored in your fat cells and secreted into your blood, where it travels to your hypothalamus and communicates that the body has enough fat and no longer needs to eat. However, people who are obese may have leptin resistance, a condition characterized by an inability of your hypothalamus to respond to leptin, which causes you to overeat.

Your stomach produces and secretes ghrelin when it is empty. The hormone travels to the hypothalamus and tells it your body is hungry. After you complete your meal, ghrelin levels go down.

Amino Acids and Growth Hormone

Proteins are macronutrients that contain amino acids. Increasing your intake of certain amino acids stimulates the release of growth hormone. Scientists at Mississippi State University have reported that oral intake of arginine, lysine and ornithine stimulate the release of growth hormone, which in turn increases muscle mass and strength, according to research published in the July/August 2002 issue of "Nutrition." Consult your doctor about taking amino acids and other supplements.