Meet Your Pituitary - The Gland Master

What’s the pituitary gland? Where is it located, and what does it do?

The pituitary gland is part of your endocrine system. It’s located at the base of your brain, right behind your nose bridge and directly below your hypothalamus. It has a special seat in the sphenoid bone called the sella turcica (Latin for Turkish saddle or seat). The pituitary gland is tiny, no larger than a pea. Despite its small size, it’s often referred to as the master gland because it produces hormones that control several other endocrine glands. However, it also has its own master. It takes its orders from your hypothalamus (located in another part of the brain).

The pituitary gland produces several hormones like:

Prolactin; (PRL) initiates milk production in pregnant and lactating (breastfeeding) women.
Growth hormone; (GH) activates bone growth and the growth of other tissues in the body. It also plays an essential role in the processing of minerals and nutrients.
Adrenocorticotropic hormone; (ACTH) stimulates the adrenal glands to make cortisol (stress hormone) which regulates blood sugar levels and maintains blood pressure.
Antidiuretic hormone; (ADH), also called vasopressin, maintains sodium levels and water balance.
Oxytocin; this hormone helps labour to progress (during childbirth) and allows breastmilk to flow. Furthermore, it improves social interaction, behaviour, and bonding between the baby and mother.
Thyroid-stimulating hormone; (TSH) activates the thyroid gland to regulate metabolism and energy, and ensures proper development of the nervous system.
Luteinising hormone; (LH) initiates the production of testosterone in men and ovulation in women.
Follicle-stimulating hormone; (FSH) stimulates the production of sperm by the testes and oestrogen from the ovaries.

Hormones released from the pituitary gland come in bursts and not a steady stream, switching between periods of inactivity and periods of activity.

What happens when your pituitary misbehaves and does not function properly?

The pituitary gland plays such an essential role that body tissue and organs can be negatively affected if it underproduces hormones (hypopituitarism) or overproduces hormones (hyperpituitarism). Both situations can impact growth, sex functions, blood pressure and metabolism, etc.

Pituitary diseases happen when your pituitary gland fails to function correctly, most commonly because of a mass or tumour. A tumour is an abnormal growth of cells. Pituitary gland tumours are, most of the time, benign (noncancerous). About half of the time, a benign pituitary gland tumour is present for several years without producing any signs or symptoms. Malignant pituitary gland tumours (cancer) are extremely rare.

You may feel the following symptoms if your pituitary gland acts up or has a tumour:

Peripheral vision problems
Headaches, dizziness
Fatigue
Dry skin
Mood changes, irritability
Depression
Muscle weakness
Irregular menstrual periods in women
Sexual signs and symptoms in men
Infertility
Not enough production of breastmilk

Remember, a tumour in your pituitary gland may be functioning or non-functioning. A functioning tumour makes hormones on its own without any control. Non-functioning tumours are more common and don’t produce any hormones. The signs and symptoms they have are dependent on their physical growth and size.

Well-known medical conditions that include your pituitary gland are listed below:

Medical Condition	Pituitary Gland Involvement
Acromegaly or gigantism	Too much growth hormone production leads to an abnormally tall stature or abnormal growth of the face, hands, and feet.
Cushing’s syndrome	Too much adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) excites your adrenal glands to produce a lot of cortisol, affecting body tissue and organs in your body.
Diabetes insipidus	The underproduction of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH) makes you very thirsty and urinate frequently.
Galactorrhoea	A woman (or even a man) produces breast milk when they’re not breastfeeding.
Hypogonadism	The testes fail to produce testosterone and sperm. This condition is also called testosterone deficiency.
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Your pituitary gland may be sitting on a Turkish saddle looking all comfortable and safe, but it still needs to be taken good care of like any other organ in your body. Below are some tips on how you can keep your pituitary gland and the rest of the members of your endocrine system healthy:

Please Note: Schedule an appointment with your doctor before you take any herbal remedies or supplements. Also, don’t forget to have regular medical check-ups even if you feel or think you’re healthy.

Eat a healthy diet that includes the following:

Water. Make sure you drink between 3 to 4 L per day for men and 2 to 3 L per day for women. It may sound a lot, but in reality, there’s no upper limit for the intake of water unless you have a medical condition like heart or kidney failure.

For the past few years, it has been observed that New Zealanders and Australians need to take note of the following simple dietary guidelines to maintain a healthy diet:

Eat More versus Eat Less

Eat More	Eat Less
Fruits	Medium and high-fat dairy foods
Vegetables (focus on a wider variety of different colours of vegetables)	For males only, eat less red meat
Wholegrain cereals	Refined cereals
Reduced-fat milk, cheese, yoghurt	Alcoholic drinks
Red meat (for young females only to increase their body’s production of red blood cells)	Fried foods, cakes and biscuits, confectionery and chocolate, energy drinks, other sweetened beverages, and foods from quick-service restaurants.
Poultry, eggs, fish, seafood, legumes and beans	Starchy vegetables like corn, peas, and potato. Consider more non-starchy varieties like tomatoes, mushrooms, broccoli.
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The pituitary gland doesn’t really require a specific nutrient, but it will benefit from a nutritious diet. If you have a hard time getting variety in your healthy food choices or don’t have the time to consume or prepare them, you might want to consider taking a multivitamin and mineral supplement.

Don’t forget your pituitary gland’s master (the hypothalamus and brain) and constituents (target organs). They both require key nutrients for optimal function.

Master	Constituents
Hypothalamus, Brain	Target Organ	Nutrients
Magnesium	Thyroid	Iodine, zinc, selenium
Vitamin B1, B9, B12, D and E	Kidney and adrenals	Limit sodium (from salt)
Long-chain omega-3 fatty acids	Bone and muscle	Calcium, vitamins A, D, and K, protein, zinc, and magnesium
Calcium	Testes and ovaries	Vitamins A, C, E, magnesium, and zinc
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Minimise stress. Chronic stress can elevate your cortisol (stress hormone) levels and lead to depression, anxiety, weight gain, and even insomnia. Look for ways to relieve stress and manage it properly. For example, practising yoga, starting a relaxing hobby, trying different types of therapeutic breathing and mindfulness, exercise. Spend quality time with friends (not toxic friends) and family, lessen your coffee intake, etc.
Get plenty of regular exercise.

Your pituitary gland directly affects essential parts of your body. If it doesn’t do its job correctly, your energy levels, brain, vision, mood, growth, along with many other areas can be negatively impacted. Your body is very dependent on the hormones it produces at specific times. If you feel any of the symptoms that might suggest you may have a problem with your pituitary gland, visit your doctor.