How does the thyroid manage your metabolism? - Emma Bryce

Kako ščitnica nadzoruje vaš metabolizem? - Emma Bryce

Translator: Nika Kotnik Reviewer: Klavdija Cernilogar

Nestled in the tissues of your neck is a small unassuming organ

V tkivih na vašem vratu gnezdi majhen, skromen organ,

that wields enormous power over your body.

ki v vašem telesu upravlja z neverjetno močjo.

It's called the thyroid.

Imenuje se ščitnica.

Like the operations manager in a company,

Kot nadzornik v podjetju

its role is to make sure that the cells in your body are working properly.

zagotavlja, da vse celice v vašem telesu pravilno delujejo.

It does that by using hormones to deliver messages to every single one of them.

To naredi z uporabo hormonov, ki prenesejo sporočila v vsako od njih.

This high-ranking organ is made up of lobules

Ta zelo pomemben organ je narejen iz lobulov

that each contains smaller cells called follicles,

in vsak vsebuje manjše celice, imenovane folikli,

which store the hormones the thyroid sends out into your blood.

ki shranjujejo hormone, ki jih ščitnica pošilja v vašo kri.

Two of the most important hormones it produces

Dva od najpomembnejših hormonov, ki jih proizvaja,

are thyroxine and triiodothyronine, or T3 and T4.

sta tiroksin in trijodotironin, ali T3 in T4.

As messengers, the hormone's job

Naloga hormonov je, da kot prenašalci sporočil

is to instruct every cell in the body when to consume oxygen and nutrients.

dajo navodila vsaki celici v telesu, kdaj naj porabi kisik in hranila.

That maintains the body's metabolism,

To vzdržuje metabolizem telesa,

the series of reactions our cells perform to provide us with energy.

serijo reakcij, ki jih naše celice izvajajo, da nas preskrbijo z energijo.

This hormonal notification from the thyroid

Hormonsko opozorilo iz ščitnice

gets the heart pumping more efficiently,

povzroči, da je črpanje srca bolj učinkovito

and makes our cells break down nutrients faster.

in da se hranila v celicah razgrajujejo hitreje.

When you need more energy,

Ko potrebuješ več energije,

the thyroid helps by sending out hormones to increase metabolism.

ščitnica pomaga tako, da pošlje ven hormone za povečanje metabolizma.

Ultimately, the thyroid allows our cells to use energy, grow and reproduce.

Ščitnica navsezadnje dovoli celicam porabo energije, rast in razmnoževanje.

The thyroid is controlled by the pituitary gland,

Ščitnico nadzoruje hipofiza,

a hormonal gland deep in the brain that oversees the thyroid's tasks,

hormonska žleza globoko v možganih, ki nadzoruje naloge ščitnice,

making sure it knows when to send out its messengers.

poskrbi, da ve, kdaj poslati ven svoje prenašalce.

The pituitary's role is to sense if hormone levels in the blood

Naloga hipofize je zaznati, če je raven hormonov v krvi

are too low or too high,

prenizka ali previsoka,

in which case it sends out instructions

v tem primeru pošlje ven navodila

in the form of the thyroid- stimulating hormone.

v obliki ščitnico-stimulirajočega hormona.

Even in this tightly controlled system, however,

A celo v tem tesno kontroliranem sistemu

management sometimes slips up.

včasih nadzoru spodrsne.

Certain diseases,

Določene bolezni,

growths in the thryoid

razraščanje v ščitnici

or chemical imbalances in the body can confuse the organ

ali kemično neravnovesje v telesu lahko zmedejo organ

and make it deaf to the pituitary's guiding commands.

in ga naredijo gluhega za ukaze hipofize.

The first problem this causes is hyperthyroidism,

Prvi problem, ki ga to povzroči, je hipertiroidizem,

which happens when the organ sends out too many hormones.

ki se zgodi, ko organ pošlje ven preveč hormonov.

That means the cells are overloaded with instructions

To pomeni, da so celice preobremenjene z navodili,

to consume nutrients and oxygen.

naj porabljajo hranila in kisik.

They become overactive as a result,

Zato postanejo preveč aktivne,

meaning a person with hyperthyroidism experiences a higher metabolism

kar pomeni, da ima oseba s hipertiroidizmom hitrejši metabolizem,

signaled by a faster heartbeat, constant hunger, and rapid weight loss.

ki ga označujejo hitrejši utrip, stalna lakota in hitra izguba teže

They also feel hot, sweaty, anxious, and find it difficult to sleep.

Prav tako jim je vroče, potijo se, so anksiozni in imajo težave s spanjem.

The opposite problem is hypothyroidism,

Nasprotni problem je hipotiriodizem,

which happens when the thyroid sends out too few hormones,

ki nastane, ko ščitnica pošilja ven premalo hormonov.

meaning the body's cells don't have as many messengers to guide them.

kar pomeni, da celice v telesu nimajo toliko sporočil, ki bi jih vodila.

In response, cells grow listless and metabolism slows.

Zato celice stagnirajo in metabolizem se upočasni.

People with hypothyroidism see symptoms in weight gain,

Ljudje s hipotirodizmom se zredijo,

sluggishness, sensitivity to cold, swollen joints and feeling low.

so počasni, občutljivi na mraz, imajo zatekle sklepe in so potrti.

Luckily, there are medical treatments

Na srečo obstaja zdravljenje,

that can help trigger the thyroid's activities again,

ki pomaga spet vzpodbuditi aktivnost ščitnice

and bring the body back to a steady metabolic rate.

in spravi telo na stabilen metabolni ritem.

For such a little organ, the thyroid wields an awful lot of power.

Čeprav je tako majhna, ima ščitnica res veliko moč.

But a healthy thyroid manages our cells so effectively

A zdrava ščitnica upravlja z našimi celicami tako učinkovito,

that it can keep us running smoothly without us even noticing it's there.

da gladko živimo, ne da bi sploh opazili njeno prisotnost.