hormone

An ingestible capsule that delivers an electrical current can stimulate the release of the hormone ghrelin. Developed at MIT, the capsule could prove useful for treating diseases that involve nausea or loss of appetite, such as anorexia or cachexia. Credit: Courtesy of the researchersThe device, which uses electricity to boost hormone production in the stomach, could help to ease nausea and counteract appetite loss.Hormones released by the stomach, such as ghrelin, play a key role in stimulating appetite. These hormones…

A hormone called fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) helps protect mice against the harmful effects of alcohol-induced loss of balance and consciousness by activating a specific part of the brain controlling alertness. However, further research is needed to determine if FGF21’s anti-intoxicant activity is applicable to humans and how it affects other cognitive and emotional functions.According to a study recently published in the journal Cell Metabolism, a hormone named fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) has been found…

Cortisol is a hormone produced by the adrenal gland in response to stress. It is commonly referred to as the “stress hormone” because it helps the body respond to and manage stress. Cortisol plays a crucial role in regulating metabolism, immune response, blood pressure, and other important bodily functions.A team of researchers at the College of Engineering at Oregon State University has created a handheld sensor that can measure cortisol levels in sweat and provide results within eight minutes. This is a significant…

A new research study has found that individuals with gender dysphoria who undergo hormone replacement therapy as part of gender affirmation therapy are at a significantly higher risk of experiencing serious cardiac events such as stroke, heart attack, and pulmonary embolism.Researchers suggest need for enhanced screening and counseling before starting therapy.People with gender dysphoria taking hormone replacements as part of gender affirmation therapy face a substantially increased risk of serious cardiac events,…

Using cutting-edge gene editing technology researchers have engineered prairie voles with no oxytocin receptors. These notoriously monogamous mammals were thought to rely on oxytocin to form crucial social bonds but the results of these new experiments suggest this so-called "love hormone" may be less important than suspected.A few decades ago ecologists discovered male and female pairs of prairie voles, a type of rodent, seemed to consistently appear in traps together. Subsequent study revealed these species were among a…

New research from the University of California, San Francisco and Stanford Medicine is challenging the long-held belief that the receptor for oxytocin, known as the “love hormone,” is essential for forming social bonds. The study, published in the journal Neuron, found that prairie voles bred without oxytocin receptors showed similar monogamous mating, attachment, and parenting behaviors to regular voles, and even gave birth and produced milk albeit in smaller quantities. This contradicts the previous idea that oxytocin…

A new genetic study, published in the journal Neuron, calls into question the traditional belief that the “love hormone” oxytocin plays a crucial role in social attachments. The study found that prairie voles can form long-lasting bonds with their partners and care for their offspring without oxytocin receptor signaling, despite decades of research suggesting otherwise.Study finds that prairie voles without oxytocin receptors can bond with mates and young.The vital role of oxytocin—the “love hormone”—for social…

A pair of prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster).Photo: Nastacia GoodwinNew research Friday might complicate the perception of oxytocin as the so-called “love hormone.” Scientists have found that prairie voles that were genetically bred without oxytocin receptors can still mate with others and breastfeed their children—behaviors long closely linked to the hormone. While oxytocin is still important to voles and other animals, including humans, the results suggest it’s only one of many factors that affect how we interact with…

A variety of age-related illnesses – including bone weakness, sexual dysfunction, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease – can be predicted by a single hormone that appears at a steady level in men across the course of their lives, new research reveals.That hormone is INSL3, and it first appears during puberty. From then on, its levels only dip slightly in old age. This consistency and the early age at which it appears makes INSL3 valuable to scientists – and possibly men's health.Someone with lower INSL3 levels at…

Scientists have discovered that the level of the novel insulin-like peptide hormone, called INSL3, in blood correlates with a range of age-related illnesses, such as bone weakness, sexual dysfunction, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Scientists have discovered the vital role of a hormone, that develops in men during puberty, in providing an early prediction of whether they could develop certain diseases in later life.Researchers from the University of Nottingham have discovered that the novel insulin-like peptide…