We know that teenagers may act wildly because of raging hormones, but that is not the only thing hormones do. They help control a lot of processes in our bodies by acting as messengers. Lets find out more about these amazing hormones. 

Directions: 

1) Actively read one of the resources below. 

2) Write five (5) annotations as you read. 

The Body’s Chemical Wi-Fi: Understanding the Endocrine System

To stay alive, your body needs to stay balanced. This state of balance is called homeostasis. Your body has two ways to send messages to keep this balance. The nervous system sends fast electrical signals, like a text message. The endocrine system is different. It uses chemical messengers called hormones.

Hormones are made by organs called glands. These glands drop hormones directly into your bloodstream. Your blood acts like a highway, carrying these chemical packages all over your body. Hormones are slower than nerve signals, but their effects last longer. They control big jobs like growing, using energy, and reproduction.

Hormones travel everywhere in your blood, but they don't talk to every cell. They are very picky. They only work on specific "target cells." This happens because of receptor molecules on the outside of the cell.

Think of this like a Lock and Key.

• The hormone is the key.

• The receptor is the lock.

A hormone has a specific shape. If its shape matches the receptor’s shape, the "door" opens and the cell gets the message. If the shape doesn't match, the cell ignores it. This is why a hormone sent from your brain to your legs doesn't confuse your stomach.

One of the most important jobs of the endocrine system is controlling blood sugar. The pancreas makes a hormone called insulin. When you eat, sugar goes into your blood. The pancreas sees this and releases insulin. Insulin tells your cells to soak up the sugar for energy. This brings your blood sugar back down to normal.

Sometimes, a person's body cannot make enough insulin. Other times, their receptors (the "locks") stop working. When this happens, blood sugar stays too high. This causes a disease called diabetes.

The endocrine system also controls how you grow. The pituitary gland is in your brain. It is often called the "master gland." It releases Human Growth Hormone (HGH). This hormone tells your muscle and bone cells to divide and grow. This is what causes growth spurts when you are a teenager. If the pituitary gland makes too much or too little of this hormone, it can cause problems with a person's height.

As you grow up, the endocrine system controls reproduction. The reproductive glands—testes in males and ovaries in females—make sex hormones.

• Males produce testosterone.

• Females produce estrogen and progesterone.

These hormones cause changes during puberty, like a deeper voice or body hair. They also help the body make reproductive cells (sperm and eggs) so the human species can continue.

Scenario: GLP-1 and Its Role in Diabetes Treatment

After a meal, nutrients enter the bloodstream as food is digested and absorbed in the small intestine. Blood glucose levels begin to rise as carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars that move into the circulatory system. Specialized cells in the digestive tract detect these changes and release chemical signals that travel through the body.

One of these signals is GLP-1, a hormone released by cells in the small intestine shortly after eating. Once released, GLP-1 enters the bloodstream and is transported to multiple organs. These organs respond differently depending on the receptors present on their cells.

As GLP-1 circulates, it influences the activity of the pancreas. The pancreas responds by adjusting the release of substances, such as insulin,  that lower blood glucose levels. At the same time, GLP-1 slows the movement of food from the stomach into the small intestine, which affects how quickly nutrients, such as glucose, enter the bloodstream.