• Question: Overall, what is the effect of hormones on the human body?

    Asked by galmpton to Derek, Elaine, Heather, Keith on 27 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Heather Eyre

      Heather Eyre answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      Well they all control something. They allow our many millions of cells to work together!

      But you can’t generalise the effects they have on the body because they they`re are so many hormones having wildly different effects!

      Eg. Insulin causes muscle and liver cells to take up glucose and store it for later as glycogen. Later, when you need that sugar, glucagon triggers the breakdown of the stored glycogen back into glucose!

    • Photo: Keith Siew

      Keith Siew answered on 27 Jun 2013:

      Well pretty much to carry a message from one part of the body to another to instruct a group of cells/tissues/organs to carry out or stop a specific task that is necessary to respond to the external environment (e.g. adrenaline) or maintain homoeostasis (e.g. ADH to keep the water content of the body in balance).

      But they all have different sources, regulators, functions, structures, etc… so their effects are very varied and different!

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