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Human Body Study

Thyroid Gland

A butterfly-shaped gland in the front of the neck.

The endocrine system A stylised body with the eight endocrine glands placed at their anatomical positions: hypothalamus, pituitary, pineal, thyroid, parathyroids, adrenals, pancreatic islets and gonads. Each label links to the article for that gland. Hypothalamus Pituitary gland Pineal gland Thyroid gland Parathyroid glands Adrenal glands Pancreatic islets Gonads The endocrine glands at their anatomical positions — schematic, not to scale.

What it produces

Section titled “What it produces”
  • Thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) — set the body’s metabolic rate.
  • Calcitonin — plays a minor role in lowering blood calcium.

What it does

Section titled “What it does”

Controls how fast the body uses energy, influencing heart rate, temperature, weight, growth, and brain development.

Key idea

Section titled “Key idea”

The thyroid sets the body’s “idle speed” — too much hormone races every system, too little slows it. It is governed by the HPT axis.