Hormones and Metabolism Quiz

At GCSE level you need to understand the following 6 points:

1. What the difference is in function and scope between the nervous system and the hormonal system.
2. What the main glands are and which hormones they produce.
3. What the roles of the various hormones are.
4. What a negative feedback loop is.
5. What the target organs of specific hormones are.
6. How the metabolic rate is influenced by hormones.

Hormones are chemicals that are released by glands around our bodies, these chemicals interact with our bodily functions to cause a change in response to internal or environmental stimuli.

The goal of the hormonal system is to regulate the internal environment and maintain optimal conditions for any situation that might occur. The most familiar example to us is the “fight or flight” response which is a response to excitement or danger which has allowed humans to survive in highly dangerous and diverse environments for hundreds of thousands of years.

Today the “fight or flight” response which is caused by the release of adrenaline, helps us to perform at high levels during stressful situations like when playing sports and sometimes at work. The release of adrenaline causes vasodilation and vasoconstriction simultaneously in different blood vessels. This happens to restrict blood flow to temporarily less important systems and enhance blood flow to urgently required systems, such as the muscular system.

Hormones have many other roles, such as coordinating our metabolism and stimulating growth.