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Linda Lazarides'
Nutritional Health Bible
an essential reference book for everyone serious about health and nutrition
Treat Yourself with
Nutritional Therapy
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Adrenal glands
The adrenal glands rest like a cap on top of the
kidneys. Each is a double gland consisting of the adrenal cortex and the
adrenal medulla. The adrenal cortex produces so-called corticosteroid
hormones, subdivided into:
- Mineralocorticoids (mainly aldosterone) which control
sodium, potassium and water balance in the body),
- Glucocorticoids (mainly cortisol but also cortisone and
corticosterone), which, among many other actions, have important effects
on glucose metabolism, reduce inflammation and help maintain normal
blood pressure,
- Small amounts of androgens (sex hormones).
The production of glucocorticoids is increased
during stress.
The adrenal medulla produces adrenaline (also known
as epinephrine - the 'fight or flight' hormone) and noradrenaline (norepinephrine), which
acts as a neurotransmitter and, like adrenaline, can constrict blood
vessels and raise blood pressure.
Some of the nutrients on which the adrenal glands are
particularly dependent include vitamin C, pantothenic acid (vitamin B5),
the amino acid methionine, and zinc. High-dose vitamin B5
supplementation results in an increase in the urinary excretion of 17,21
dihydroxy-20 ketosteroids - an unmistakable sign of a functional
activation of the adrenal gland (Fidanza A: Therapeutic action of
pantothenic acid. Int J Vit Nutr
Res, Suppl 24: In Vitamins in Medicine: Recent therapeutic aspects.
A Hanck [Ed], 1983). The adrenal hormones (and other hormones) are made
of cholesterol esters, hydroxyl groups and methyl groups. Methionine and
choline are required in adequate amounts every day to supply methyl
groups for hormone synthesis. Some nutritionists believe that methionine
deficiency is relatively common. Methionine may be particularly low in
vegetarian diets which rely mainly on pulses (legumes) for protein.
Adrenaline (see Catecholamines)
Adapted from the Nutritional Health Bible by Linda Lazarides
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