Thyroid Hormone and Weight loss
For Most of us a lack of Thyroid Hormone is NOT the cause of weight gain.
Sticking with the hormone theme we’re going to discuss thyroid hormone today based on a request from Lillea.
I’ll try to knock this out in a way that makes sense without leading to more questions but rather leading to at least some sort of understanding.
Thyroid hormones T3 and T4 are released from your thyroid gland (located in your neck) and they affect all cells of your body. They basically tell the cell what pace to work at (this is a very unscientific term but you get the point)
Too much thyroid hormone and your cells start working overtime, this can lead to a whole host of problems including irritability, restlessness, anxiety, hair loss, muscle aches, intolerance to heat, weakness, tremors, hypoglycemia, and many other symptoms, one of them being weight loss.
But any weight loss effect you might get from being hyperthyroid isn’t worth living with the other effects.
In short, it would really suck!
The most common cause is an autoimmune disease known as “graves disease”, a less common cause is an inflammation of the thyroid gland (there are also other even more rare causes that aren’t worth discussing here)
Hypothyroid is the reverse (having low thyroid output) which may also be caused by an inflammation of the thyroid.
Some of the symptoms are fatigue, depression, cold intolerance, muscle cramps, poor muscle tone, osteoporosis, weight gain, water retention.
In summary, hypothyroidism would also suck!
The point being that hormonal manipulation to cause weight loss (in this case thyroid hormone) is likely not a viable option considering all of the other issue it could present.
If you feel like you have a weight problem because of an underactive thyroid this can easily be tested for, and you would likely have many other symptoms as well.
With that said, underactive thyroid is rare and in most people’s cases they’re perfectly healthy and simply eat a bit too much.
So if you REALLY think you have a thyroid problem I suggest doing some simple google type internet research first and then booking an appointment with your physician to get yourself tested if you seem to have the signs and symptoms of thyroid deficiency.
BUT if you make it all the way to getting tested don’t be surprised if your levels are perfectly normal and that most of your signs and symptoms weren’t due to thyroid deficiency but rather an inactive lifestyle.
John
3 Responses to “Thyroid Hormone and Weight loss”
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July 27th, 2010 at 8:51 am
So if you REALLY think you have a thyroid problem I suggest doing some simple google type internet research first and then booking an appointment with your physician to get yourself tested if you seem to have the signs and symptoms of thyroid deficiency.
This is a really trivial test for your physician to do, but please make sure its a physician, like John suggested.
There are lots of New Age/’Health’ Supplement/etc companies online that will ‘test your thyroid function’… with non-standard, non-government approved tests. And they have lists and lists and lists of supplements/vitamins/minerals they will suggest you buy to ‘boost your thyroid function’.
There are real tests for thyroid problems, and real drugs for thyroid problems, because thyroid problems are really serious. Take Johns advice– go see a physician if you genuinely think there is a problem.
July 27th, 2010 at 12:00 pm
Interesting topic!! I had part of my thyroid removed, and I take syntheroid (hormone replacement). If I skip doses over a long period of time (~week), then I start to get some of the hypothyroid symptoms mentioned above, but rarely like lethargic but no noticeable weight gain. I have not tried to over-dose my prescription nor have any intention to, so I have not experience hyperthyroid. A simple blood test will tell you your thyroid level.
I don’t notice any weight gain/loss I would attribute to my thyroid levels, but it does correlate quite well to how much ice-cream or cheesecake!
I have had powerlifter friends comment to me how “lucky” I was to have this prescription, and I found the comment to be in rather poor taste considering my partial thyroid removal and dependency on prescriptions. Every day just like the “pill”!
August 2nd, 2010 at 5:39 am
Thanks for answering John! I appreciate it.
My family has a history of thyroid disease, so it’s something I’ve been interested in learning more about.
My understanding is that a disease is classified as “rare” in the United States if fewer than 200,000 people suffer from it. I’ve read that 14 million people in the US have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, but perhaps that figure is incorrect. I’m trying to verify that. Are there sites you like where you feel the disease stats are solid?