Adrenal glands. Illustration of a human figure in silhouette showing the position of the kidneys and adrenal glands. The kidneys (blue) form urine by filtering out waste products from the blood. Covering the top surface of each kidney are the adrenal glands (red). These endocrine glands secrete a variety of different hormones. They produce adrenaline (epinephrine), the body's stress hormone. Adrenaline increases the heart rate, breathing and metabolism to prepare the body for flight or fight. The adrenal glands also produce corticosteroid hormones which affect carbohydrate and electrolyte metabolism and the sex glands.