what function does thyroid provide for our body?

Question

please help i have an essay due 2morrow

Answer 1

Straight from my medical book: The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped structure that consists of two lobes in the lower part of the neck. The gland makes a hormone called thyroxine, or T4, under the control of thyroid-stimulating hormone produced by the pituitary gland. Thyroxine controls the rates at which chemical reactions occur in your body. Generally, the more thyroxine that there is, the faster your body works.
Thyroxine contains the chemical iodine. Most people get sufficient iodine in their diets from fish, fish products, and drinking water. Iodine is often added to table salt and bread.
On the four corners of your thyroid gland are 4 parathyroid glands, each about the size of a pearl. They produce parathyroid hormone. This hormone works with another called calcitonin, which is made by the thyroid gland and with vitamin D to control the level of calcium in your blood. Calcium has a role in blood clotting & the funtioning of your nerves & muscles. Parathyroid hormone & vitamin D raise the calcium level both by causing your intestine to absorb more calcium from food & by making you excrete less calcium in urine.

Answer 2

The thyroid (from the Greek word for "shield", after its shape) is one of the larger endocrine glands in the body. It is a double-lobed structure located in the neck and produces hormones, principally thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), that regulate the rate of metabolism and affect the growth and rate of function of many other systems in the body. The hormone calcitonin is also produced and controls calcium blood levels. Iodine is necessary for the production of both hormones. Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) and hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) are the most common problems of the thyroid gland.

Answer 3

it regulates the rates of metabolism, growth, and development.