The endocrine system is a system composed of glands that produce hormones. These hormones do many things including regulating sleep, metabolism, growth and others. The glands/organs in the endocrine system include the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, adrenal glands, thyroid gland, pineal gland, thymus gland, parathyroid glands, pancreas, ovaries (females) and testicles (males).
The effect of sugar
The main way sugar affects the endocrine system is through its production of insulin and release of certain chemicals. The production of insulin affects many of the other glands within the endocrine system such as the ovaries in women, or adrenal glands. When sugar intake affects insulin production significantly, it can cause disorders of insulin production which can cause the imbalance of other hormones as well.
Hyperglycemia and Hypoglycemia
When the body doesn't have enough blood sugar and an excess of insulin, the subject starts to develop a condition known as hypoglycemia. The opposite occurs when there is an excess of blood sugar and not enough insulin in the body, this is called hyperglycemia. When there are excess sugars in the body, the endocrine system must figure out a way to bring the level of sugars and insulin back to normal. In order to do this, the pancreas increases the amount of insulin there is in order to process the sugars. The insulin binds to receptors on blood cells which allow the glucose to pass through the membrane and be converted into energy in different types of cells. The glucose can also be used by adipose cells and be turned into fat or be converted into glycogen but the liver to bring sugar levels back to normal. However, in response to low levels of sugar in the body, the hormone glucagon is produced in order to bring it back up. Glucagon signals for the liver to convert the glucagon produced back into glucose in order for it to go back into the bloodstream and raise sugar levels once again.
Diabetes
There are two different types of diabetes, type 1 and type 2. According to a study done at Harvard university and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an increase in the consumption of sugars can lead to an increased rick of pre diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is when the body completely lacks insulin as the body's own immune system destroys the cells that produce insulin. When this happens, the body cannot absorb glucose and convert it into energy for the body to use. While this type of diabetes relies on insulin to absorb glucose (sugars), the intake of sugar does not necessarily affect the chances of this diagnosis. This type of diabetes generally cannot be prevented unlike type 2 diabetes, which can be prevented by a healthy lifestyle and diet. Type 2 diabetes has a strong correlation between the amount of sugar that is consumed and the chances of being diagnosed with it. This type of diabetes is very common and has to do with the pancreas not being able to produce enough insulin to control the amount of glucose in the bloodstream. This type of diabetes is also associated with when the body becomes resistant to the effects of insulin. As mentioned earlier, when blood sugar levels get too high or low, the body goes through a process in order to get it back to normal and an image is shown to the left displaying what happens during this process.
Sugar and the adrenal glands
The adrenal glands regulate blood sugar levels by secreting a hormone called glucocorticoids. This hormone is generally used when the body wants to metabolize glucose that is in the bloodstream. However, the adrenals don't play a big part in sugar regulation unless it is absolutely required in situations such as when there is an emergency. When stress is present, the adrenal glands will produce a hormone called cortisol which can control other hormones that regulate the amount of sugar present in the blood and bring it back to normal. The process goes like this: the cortisol stimulates catecholamines such as adrenaline to have the pancreas convert glycogen back to glucose in order to raise blood sugar levels. Noradrenaline also plays a role as it sends the blood goes from deeper organs to more active/important organs such as the heart in order to maintain blood sugar levels and use the energy. However, it can become a problem when the adrenal glands become fatigued which decreases the amount of cortisol being released; since cortisol is crucial to maintaining the levels of glucose, glucose levels drop extremely low and causes low blood sugar in people. This becomes a cycle due to the fact that low levels of sugar will cause further problems to the adrenal glands. High intake of sugar can be a problem as well. High sugar intakes can spike insulin levels which require the adrenal glands to work hard in order to bring glucose levels back to normal. This can tire out the adrenal glands and eventually wear them out, which is also not good for the body. This is why lots of proteins and less sugars are recommended. However, while a high blood sugar is bad for you, so is a very low one, so its best to maintain these levels by having a healthy diet and lifestyle. Sugar affects many things in the human body, and the endocrine system is one of the most important.