10
&
September 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
Like us
@healthykentucky
The Master Gland
Learn about the small but mighty
PITUITARY GLAND
By Jean Jeffers, Staff Writer
The pituitary gland, considered
the “master gland,” is an endocrine
(hormone-producing gland) that
sits just beneath the base of the
skull. It is about the size of a pea,
but it is very important. It interprets
messages from the brain via the
hypothalamus to produce hormones that affect many parts of the
body. It also stimulates all the other
hormone-producing glands to produce their own hormones.
According to “You and Your
Hormones,” available from the
Society of Endocrinology, the
pituitary gland secretes hormones
that act on the adrenal glands, the
thyroid gland, the ovaries and the
testes. It controls many aspects of
metabolism, sexual maturation,
reproduction, blood pressure and
other vital functions. With the
hormones it secretes and those it
stimulates, it is able to maintain
an appropriate environment in the
body.
According to Medline Plus
(www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus),
which is maintained by the National
Institutes of Health, the pituitary
gland releases the following hormones:
• GH (growth hormone), which
increases the size of muscles and
bones;
• TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone), which stimulates the
thyroid gland to release triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine
(T4) to stimulate metabolism in
other cells;
• FSH (follicle stimulating hormone), which stimulates ovarian
follicle production in women and
sperm production in men;