Endocrine hormones (key)
MCAT glossary · Psychological, Social & Biological Foundations of Behavior
Definition
Insulin (β-cells, lowers glucose), glucagon (α-cells, raises glucose), thyroxine T3/T4 (metabolic rate), cortisol (stress/glucose), aldosterone (Na⁺), ADH (water).
Endocrine hormones (key) in plain English
Hormones are chemical text-messages your body releases into the bloodstream so one organ can boss another around from a distance. The big ones to know: insulin (from pancreas beta-cells) tells your body to pull sugar OUT of the blood after a meal, while glucagon (alpha-cells) does the opposite and pushes sugar back INTO the blood when you're hungry — they're a thermostat keeping blood sugar steady. Thyroxine (T3/T4) sets your overall metabolic speed (how fast you burn energy), cortisol is the stress hormone that also raises blood sugar to fuel a crisis, aldosterone tells your kidneys to hold onto salt (sodium, Na⁺), and ADH tells them to hold onto water. Think of them as a management team, each with one clear job.
Also called: key
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