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What is the Thyroid Gland?
The thyroid gland is an important endocrine gland found at the lower front of the neck. It plays an important role by producing the thyroid hormone. The thyroid hormone keeps the heart, brain, vital organs and muscles working and helps the body utilize energy. It regulates our metabolism.
The Thyroid Gland-Weight Connection
Our metabolism can be measured by the amount of oxygen used by the body over a period of time. When at rest, the measurement is called basal metabolic rate. BMR measurement was one of the earliest tests used for assessing the condition of the thyroid. People with thyroid problem have been found to have low BMR while those with overactive thyroid glands have high BMR. Today, most physicians no longer utilize BMR test due to the complexity of the test and because of the many factors that may affect the result of BMR other than the thyroid state.
What are Thyroid Problems?
Any dysfunction of the thyroid gland can be considered thyroid problem. There are different kinds of thyroid problems:• Thyroid nodules
• Goiter
• Thyroid cancer
Problems with the thyroid gland include underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism and overactive thyroid or hyperthyroidism.
An overactive thyroid can make the person be hyperactive, feel anxious, restless or nervous and experience unexpected weight loss. On the other hand, an underactive thyroid can make the person feel depressed and tired and may put on weight.
The Relationship Between Hyperthyroidism and Your Weight
Because the basal metabolic rate of patients with hyperthyroidism is elevated, they do, indeed, lose some weight. In addition, the chances of weight loss occurring is relative to the severity of the condition. Hence, if the thyroid is too overactive, the person’s BMR goes up leading to increase in caloric requirements to maintain the weight. If there’s no increase in calories consumed to keep up with the calories burned, then weight loss will follow.There are many factors to consider when we talk about weight management – appetite, activity and metabolism are quite complex, and thyroid is just one piece of the puzzle. However, the more severe the hyperthyroidism, the more weight is lost.
Because hyperthyroidism increases appetite, there’s a possibility that you may not lose weight but may actually gain, although this depends on the amount of increase in your caloric intake.
The Relationship Between Hypothyroidism and Weight
Because the basal metabolic rate of patients with hypothyroidism is low, an underactive thyroid gland usually result to some weight gain. People with more severe hypothyroidism even have greater weight gain. In hypothyroidism, the decrease in BMR is less dramatic than the increase observed in hyperthyroidism. The cause of weight gain for people with underactive thyroid is also complex, and isn’t always relevant to excess fat accumulation. In fact, the extra weight gained by individuals with hypothyroidism is due to accumulation of salt and water. Generally, 5 to 10% of the total body weight may be due to the thyroid, although this depends on the severity of the thyroid problem. Also, if weight gain is the only sign of hypothyroidism present, then the increase in weight is less likely due to the thyroid.Now, if weight gain in hypothyroidism is due to the build-up of water and salt, we can predict a small reduction (often 10% of total body weight) in weight. But since hypothyroidism often develops for long period of time, it is not uncommon to find that there’s no notable weight loss after treatment of hypothyroidism.
When thyroid hormone levels returned to normal range after treatment, the ability to lose or gain weight is the same to those who don’t have thyroid problems.
Can Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy Help Me Lose Weight?
For many years, thyroid hormones have been used to manage weight issues. Numerous researches have shown that thyroid hormone treatment is more effective for weight loss than dieting alone. But once excess in thyroid hormone supply is stopped, the weight that is lost is often regained. Moreover, there may be negative effects from the use of thyroid hormone treatment such as loss of body fat and muscle protein. Also, increasing the thyroid hormone dosage for the purpose of elevating thyroid hormone levels is unlikely to cause remarkable changes in weight and this may even lead to other metabolic problems.
