How Does Thyroid Gland Influence The Function Of The Body

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The thyroid is a reddish, ductless gland that looks like butterfly-shaped gland that is located in front of the trachea. The gland is the most richly vascular tissue. It consist of numerous closed follicles containing colloid matter and is surrounded by a vascular network. The thyroid gland might be small but it plays a huge role in our body. The thyroid influence the function of the body’s most important organs including: the heart, brain, liver, kidneys and even the skin. Ensuring that the thyroid gland is healthy and functioning properly is very important to the body’s health.
The thyroid gland uses iodine from your diet to produce hormones. The thyroid gland produces two hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroxine contains four iodine atoms and the triiodothyronine contains three iodine atoms. T3 is made when one atom from T4 is removed. This conversion mostly occurs outside of the thyroid in organs and tissue where T3 is mostly used, such as the liver, the brain, and the kidneys. …show more content…

When the hypothalamus secretes thyrotropin releasing hormone, which then stimulates the anterior pituitary gland to release thyroid-stimulating hormone. The thyroid-stimulating hormone stimulates the thyroid gland to release its hormones T3 and T4. The hormones regulate general body metabolism. An imbalance within the thyroid hormones may interfere with the following body functions: growth, maturation; carbohydrates, proteins, and lipid metabolism; thermoregulation; cardiovascular function; and reproduction. Thyroid disease is broken up into two opposite disorders such as: hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. This happens when your thyroid gland is not functioning

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