Thyroid Weight Loss Problems

Do you feel exhausted all the time? Does it seem impossible to lose weight, no matter how hard you try? Your thyroid could be the culprit.

A small gland in the neck, the thyroid is the engine that makes your body's metabolism run. It controls your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and determines how many calories you burn. If you are one of those people who feels as though you can look at a piece of cake and instantly gain five pounds, ask your doctor to check your thyroid.

Incidence

Hypothyroidism affects over 10 million Americans, many of them undiagnosed. Women are especially prone to thyroid problems during the childbearing years. Thyroid function also decreases with age, and as many as 10 percent of women over age 60 suffer from failure to produce sufficient thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism).

Diagnosis

Most doctors use the TSH test as the primary indicator of thyroid function. TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) is actually produced by the pituitary gland in response to levels of thyroid hormone circulating in the blood. It is a highly sensitive test but an indirect measure of the thyroid's health.

Traditionally, doctors have considered a TSH of above 5 to be indicative of hypothyroidism; however, new data have led many laboratories to flag levels above 3.0 as abnormal.

Thyroid Hormone Replacement

The healthy thyroid gland produces several hormones, most notably thyroxine (T4). T4 is converted by the liver into T3, which is the active form of thyroid hormone used by every cell in the body. While the thyroid gland also makes small amounts of T3, synthetic T4 supplementation is considered the gold standard of treatment by most doctors.

Many hypothyroid patients feel quite well on synthetic T4 and, by taking one small pill daily, find their problems cured. However, if you still have thyroid symptoms and your doctor tells you your TSH is normal, ask for a blood test to measure your T3 levels directly. (If your doctor resists, consider finding a new doctor.) If you are taking a T4-only supplement and find your T3 levels to be at the low end of the normal range or even below normal, you may benefit from additional supplementation.

Many thyroid patients (and some natural-minded practitioners) swear by natural dessicated thyroid preparations. These contain a higher T3/T4 ratio than the human thyroid produces, so they don't work for everyone. Synthetic forms of T3 and T3-T4 combinations are also available. Many doctors are reluctant to prescribe T3 in any form because of its shorter half-life and the difficulty of maintaining constant levels in the bloodstream. Patients using any form of T3 therapy typically have to take several doses throughout the day to compensate for this issue.

Diet

If you suspect your thyroid is not functioning optimally, but you do not have overt hypothyroidism, dietary changes may help.

The thyroid needs iodine to produce its hormones, but with the advent of iodized salt, true iodine deficiency is extremely rare in North America today. Excessive soy consumption can also have a negative impact on thyroid health. Efficacy of other so-called "thyroid diets" is essentially unproven.

Supplements

Use of nonprescription thyroid supplements (enzymes, herbs, or hormones) without a doctor's supervision is potentially dangerous, as excessive thyroid hormone can cause heart palpitations, high blood pressure, osteoporosis (over the long term) and, in extreme cases, even death.