A new study helps to explain how leptin, a hormone produced by fat tissue, influences your motivation to eat. The researchers described for the first time a collection of leptin-responsive neurons in the brain’s lateral hypothalamic area (LHA). Those LHA neurons feed directly into the mesolimbic dopamine system, which controls the rewarding properties assigned to… Read More »
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are similar in structure to natural hormones such as the female sex hormone estrogen, the male sex hormone androgen and thyroid hormones, which allow them to interfere with development,1 reproduction, neurological functioning, metabolism, satiety and your immune system function, and much more.2 For example, they may block certain hormonal signals, alter… Read More »
Hormone Replacement Therapy: Definition When we talk about hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in men, we’re talking about testosterone. A small amount of testosterone is produced in the adrenal glands, but for men the majority of testosterone is produced in the testicles. Testosterone has both physical and psychological benefits.1 Physically, the hormone has several functions for… Read More »
There exists a unique relationship between IGF-1 and growth hormone with both a stimulatory and mediating effect. The growth hormone/IGF-1 axis involves the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and liver. Insulin growth factor 1 is a primary mediator of many GH functions. Take, for example, cell regeneration, a crucial job of the growth hormone feedback loop. IGF-1… Read More »
Scientists have discovered that irisin, a hormone released by muscles during exercise, directly acts on key regulatory cells that control the breakdown and formation of bone. The researchers say this insight raises the prospect of new treatments for bone-thinning disorders such as osteoporosis. Reporting in Cell, Bruce Spiegelman and colleagues at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute say they have for… Read More »