How does the thyroid manage your metabolism? - Emma Bryce

甲狀腺如何管理你的新陳代謝？ - 艾瑪布萊斯

譯者: 盧 紀睿 審譯者: 瑞文Eleven 林Lim

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

在你的脖子旁一個小器官，

that wields enormous power over your body.

具掌控你身體的巨大力量，

It's called the thyroid.

這就是甲狀腺。

Like the operations manager in a company,

就像一個公司的營運經理，

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

它的作用是確保 你體内的细胞正常工作。

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

它通過使用賀爾蒙 發送訊息給每一個細胞。

This high-ranking organ is made up of lobules

這種高級器官由甲狀腺小葉組成，

that each contains smaller cells called follicles,

每個小葉都包含稱為濾泡的小細胞，

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

其中存儲可由甲狀腺 送至血液的賀爾蒙。

Two of the most important hormones it produces

它分泌了兩種最重要的賀爾蒙，

are thyroxine and triiodothyronine, or T3 and T4.

甲狀腺素和三碘甲狀腺氨酸 或稱為T3和T4。

As messengers, the hormone's job

作為信使，賀爾蒙的工作

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

是指導體內的每一個細胞 藉由消耗的氧氣和營養，

That maintains the body's metabolism,

來維持人體的新陳代謝。

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

一系列的反應使 我們的細胞供給我們能量。

This hormonal notification from the thyroid

這種來自甲狀腺荷爾蒙的通知，

gets the heart pumping more efficiently,

使心臟泵血更有效，

and makes our cells break down nutrients faster.

並使得我們的細胞 分解營養成分更快。

When you need more energy,

當你需要更多能量時，

the thyroid helps by sending out hormones to increase metabolism.

甲狀腺幫忙透過 發送賀爾蒙增加新陳代謝，

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

最終，甲狀腺控制細胞 使用能源、生長和繁殖。

The thyroid is controlled by the pituitary gland,

甲狀腺被腦垂腺控制，

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

此大腦深處的荷爾蒙腺體 負責監督甲狀腺的工作，

making sure it knows when to send out its messengers.

確保它知道何時發送其賀爾蒙。

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

腦垂腺的作用是檢測 血液中的賀爾蒙

are too low or too high,

如果過低或過高，

in which case it sends out instructions

它就會發出指令，

in the form of the thyroid- stimulating hormone.

調節甲狀腺的賀爾蒙。

Even in this tightly controlled system, however,

然而，即使在這樣嚴格的控制系統下，

management sometimes slips up.

管理有時仍會產生疏失。

Certain diseases,

如某些特定疾病

growths in the thryoid

發生在甲狀腺，

or chemical imbalances in the body can confuse the organ

或體內化學失衡時可能使甲狀腺混淆，

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

使其無法接收腦垂腺的指導命令。

The first problem this causes is hyperthyroidism,

第一個問題會導致甲狀腺功能亢進，

which happens when the organ sends out too many hormones.

當腺體發出過多的賀爾蒙，

That means the cells are overloaded with instructions

意味著將使細胞超載，

to consume nutrients and oxygen.

消耗過多的養分和氧氣。

They become overactive as a result,

它們過度活躍，結果

meaning a person with hyperthyroidism experiences a higher metabolism

甲狀腺功能亢進症患者 具較高的新陳代謝率，

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

顯現出較快的心跳、 常有飢餓感，並快速減肥。

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

他們還覺得熱、出汗、焦慮， 並難以入睡。

The opposite problem is hypothyroidism,

與此相反的問題是 甲狀腺功能減退症，

which happens when the thyroid sends out too few hormones,

這發生在甲狀腺發送太少賀爾蒙時，

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

意味著身體的細胞沒有 足夠多的訊息引導它們活動。

In response, cells grow listless and metabolism slows.

結果，細胞缺乏活力、新陳代謝減慢。

People with hypothyroidism see symptoms in weight gain,

患有甲狀腺功能減退症 會有體重增加的症狀，

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

以及呆滯、對冷敏感、 關節腫脹和情緒低落。

Luckily, there are medical treatments

幸運的是這可以醫治，

that can help trigger the thyroid's activities again,

能觸發甲狀腺再次活耀起來，

and bring the body back to a steady metabolic rate.

並恢復身體到一個穩定的代謝率。

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

對於這樣一個小的器官， 甲狀腺握有很多可怕的權力。

But a healthy thyroid manages our cells so effectively

但是，健康的甲狀腺 能有效地管理我們的細胞，

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

讓我們身體平穩運作， 以至於我們沒有注意到它的存在。