Thyroid Health

Friday, 7 October
2011

Thyroid Activity and Excess Weight

An Active Thyroid Can Cause Unhealthy Weight Gain

There are many familiar causes of unhealthy weight gain, such as too much calorie intake, lack of exercise, and an unbalanced diet, but weight gain can also be the result of lesser known causes such as having an extremely active thyroid.

The Link Between Thyroid Activity and Excess Weight

The thyroid gland is an essential part of the body. It produces hormones to control metabolic processes. As you eat, your thyroid gland secretes these hormones to break up the food, allowing your body to digest food efficiently. If you have a high rate of metabolism, you are likely to have a hard-working thyroid that’s able to keep up with the amount of food you eat regularly. The hormones released from the thyroid gland systematically break down food particles and digest them completely, preventing them from turning into fat deposits that are the primary sources of excess weight in the body. In summary, a perfectly functioning thyroid gland allows you to stay at a healthy weight.

Will an Increase in Thyroid Activity Promote Weight Loss?

Since the thyroid gland is responsible for the production of the metabolism hormones, it’s only logical to think that an increase in thyroid activity can in fact help overweight people lose weight faster. However, inducing the thyroid to be more active than it should be can have several negative medical repercussions and experts are looking at the possibility of using injected hormones instead.

In the last few years, several studies have been conducted in the medical community to find out just what could happen when the thyroid level in the body is artificially increased. Initial results of these experiments show that the subjects did show a decrease in weight. However, when the effects of the injected hormones have worn off, the weight very easily returned. Based on these findings, one would have to have hormone injections on a regular basis for long-term weight loss results.

During the first few weeks of using the injected hormone treatment, people appeared to be quite satisfied with the results they are getting. However, as the treatment continued, several metabolic conditions started to arise in a number of individuals, which many people believe are just one of the many possible side effects of using this procedure.

Healthy Ways to Avoid Gaining Excessive Weight

Hundreds of weight loss solutions are available today, including the injected hormone treatment. However, the problem of excessive weight cannot really be cured using these methods unless you address the root of the situation itself. In other words, you can keep using these weight loss treatments but if you don’t change the way you eat and regularly exercise, you will always have the problem of being overweight. If you want to permanently solve your weight problems, the best way is to make the necessary changes to your lifestyle. Start by eating healthier foods and exercising more frequently. In time, you will lose weight naturally and won’t have any need for artificial solutions.

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Wednesday, 5 October
2011

Estrogen Dominance & Thyroid Function

Estrogen, progesterone, and thyroid hormones are interrelated. The thyroid is the hormone that regulates metabolic rate. Low thyroid tends to cause low energy levels, cold intolerance, and weight gain. Excess thyroid causes higher energy levels, feeling too warm, and weight loss. The thyroid gland makes two versions of thyroid hormone from tyrosine and iodine.

Both versions are then enveloped in a relatively large glycoprotein complex called thyroglobulin and stored in the thyroid gland. To be released into the bloodstream for circulation throughout the body, the hormones are separated from thyroglobulin and bound to a much smaller globulin thyroxin-binding globulin or albumin. However, only 0.5% of thyroid hormone is “free” to be biologically active. Thyroid’s action in the cell is to increase the biosynthesis of enzymes, resulting in heat production, oxygen consumption, and elevated metabolic rate. Thyroid stimulates the oxidation of fatty acids, and reduces cholesterol by oxidizing it into bile acids. Thyroid also stimulates enzymes for protein synthesis and, when present in excessive amounts, can catabolize (destroy) muscle protein. Estrogen causes food calories to be stored as fat. Thyroid hormone causes fat calories to be turned into usable energy. Thyroid hormone and estrogen have opposing actions. Estrogen inhibits thyroid action in the cells, interfering with the binding of thyroid to its receptor. Both hormones have phenol rings at a corner of their molecule. The respiratory enzymes of cells are thyroid-dependent. When thyroid function is low, cellular oxygen is low (cellular hypoxia). Thus, estrogen-induced thyroid interference contributes to less-than-optimal brain function. Excess estrogen may compete with thyroid hormone at the site of its receptor. In so doing, the thyroid hormone may never complete its mission, creating hypothyroid symptoms despite normal serum levels of thyroid hormone. Progesterone, on the other hand, increases the sensitivity of estrogen receptors for estrogen and yet, at the proper level, inhibits many of estrogen’s side effects. GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) is an amino acid that acts as a neurotransmitter-inhibitor and tends to have a calming effect. When estrogen interferes with thyroid production and slows the metabolism of brain cells, it indirectly decreases GABA production and increases brain cell excitability, a factor in epilepsy.

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