Hormones and Metabolic Regulators: The Hidden Hands Controlling the Brain

Introduction: Mood is Chemistry, Not Mind

We often think of mood as a state of mind, but from our body’s perspective, mood is the result of a sophisticated chemical reaction. The maestro who commands that reaction is ‘hormone.’

In Brain Energy, Dr. Christopher Palmer emphasizes that hormones go beyond simply regulating body functions and directly send signals to the mitochondria of brain cells to command how to use energy. Today, we will find out how key hormones that sway our mental health relate to metabolism.

1. Insulin: The Primary Energy Manager of the Brain

Insulin is not just a hormone that regulates blood sugar. It is also a key that opens the door so that brain cells can use glucose as energy.

If insulin resistance occurs, even if glucose overflows in the blood, the brain cells actually starve. This is the state called ‘diabetes of the brain,’ and it is deeply related to depression, cognitive decline, and even dementia. When brain energy hits bottom, our ability to regulate emotions also collapses together.

2. Cortisol: Double-edged Sword, Stress Hormone

Cortisol helps survival by explosively pulling up our body’s energy in emergencies. However, the chronic stress of modern people keeps cortisol levels high continuously.

The problem is that continuously high cortisol attacks mitochondria directly. This shrinks the hippocampus part of the brain and creates a vicious cycle of anxiety and depression. It is the path through which stress causes actual brain damage through ‘metabolic disorder.‘

3. Sex Hormones: Hidden Power Creating Waves of Emotion

Sex hormones such as estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone are also powerful metabolic regulators that regulate mitochondrial function.

The rapid mood changes experienced by women before and after menstruation or during menopause are not simple ‘psychological phenomena.’ It is a biological event where the efficiency of brain energy metabolism fluctuates sharply as sex hormone levels change. This is also why men with low testosterone levels experience depression and decreased vitality.

Conclusion: Fixing Hormonal Imbalance is the Beginning of Metabolic Treatment

Hormones do not work independently. Insulin, cortisol, and sex hormones are closely connected to each other to create the metabolic environment of our brain.

There is no need to despair that our moods are swayed by hormones. Rather, the fact that hormones are connected to metabolism gives powerful hope that we can regain the balance of hormones through eating habits, exercise, and sleep, and consequently recover mental health.

We have now covered the core contents of Dr. Christopher Palmer’s ‘Brain Energy’ series. The brain is not an isolated island but is connected to the metabolic system of our entire body, and our mental health is at the center of that metabolism.

So that your brain can beat vigorously and have healthy energy, I hope you practice the metabolic wisdom you learned today starting from small parts of your life.