Hormones are the chemical messengers of the endocrine system that ensure effective functioning of our body through an intricate communication system among the trillions of cells. Hormones are important modulators of cellular activity. Insulin for example is a hormone, manufactured by the pancreas,. Insulin controls the level of glucose in the bloodstream. Insulin is required in order to get glucose into the cells, where it is burned as fuel. Diabetes is a disease in which the energy-metabolizing system of the body has become impaired.
Insulin has profound effects on aging. Foods that are digested enter the bloodstream as the simple sugar glucose, which the body uses as an energy source. Under the direction of insulin, glucose is able to pass from the bloodstream, through the cell membrane, and into the cell, where it is burned as fuel. Poor regulation of glucose in the bloodstream can result from insufficient insulin secretion by the pancreas or through the body's inability to properly make use of glucose. This causes high levels of glucose to remain in the blood. The body then triggers the pancreas to produce more insulin. Elevated insulin sets off a cascade of disturbances at the cellular level and increases the rate of biological aging. Insulin is a hormone with global actions and can cause high blood pressure, blood fat abnormalities, abnormal immune system function, and accelerated biological aging.
In women, high insulin levels cause the body to change hormone production away from female hormone estrogen to the production of the male hormone testosterone. Low estrogen and high insulin also alters body composition and shape, causing unhealthy weight gain and increased deposits of abdominal fat. Estrogen has a protective effect against osteoporosis, heart disease, and Alzheimer's and with low estrogen production the rate of occurrence of these diseases increase.
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