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T3 – A better option for weight loss

Weight loss 2Some research suggests that overweight people with hypothyroidism who take the standard thyroid hormone replacement drug, Synthroid, T4, the inactive form of thyroid, generally do not lose much weight with treatment.

In my experience, people are able to lose weight better when their body temperatures are 98.6 as measured by mouth. There is a vast difference between losing weight with a low temperature and losing weight with a normal temperature. For one, when people with low temperatures lose weight they tend to gain it all back and then some after their diets are over. People that lose weight with a normal temperature are more likely able to keep it off.

It’s easy to see why T4 often doesn’t help people with weight issues. It’s because many people treated with T4 still have low body temperatures. Some people clearly can’t utilize T4 fully. They have trouble converting T4 to T3, the active form of thyroid hormone. In fact, research from the National Institutes of Health recently showed that even when people are getting enough T4 to restore their blood levels of TSH to normal, they may have a shortage of T3 in various tissues in their body. And in a study where they compared equivalent doses of T4 to T3, T3 resulted in significant weight loss when substituted for T4. (T3 also reduced cholesterol better.) The results were modest (about 4 pounds on average, or about a 50 calorie-per-day change in resting metabolic rate) but could add up over time. There were no side effects from T3 treatment.

“This intervention could be relevant for hypothyroid patients affected by comorbid conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dyslipidemia, or obesity, where weight control and aggressive lowering of serum cholesterol are particularly important,” the researchers say. In another study, NIH researchers found that even modest weight loss can reduce metabolism slightly. The researchers speculate that this is due to reduced T4 to T3 conversion in peripheral tissues.

I suggest that if you are taking T4, and having trouble losing weight despite your best efforts, that you take your body temperature. If it is consistently low, (below 97.8 F. (36.56 C.) chances are good you have slow metabolism, which may be caused by low thyroid hormone activity in your body. (See “How are body temperatures measured” for complete instructions.) You may have trouble converting T4 to T3. Low body temperature even with normal TSH levels is a condition called Wilson’s Temperature Syndrome.

WTS can often be corrected with proper thyroid support, which often includes a trial of T3. You can discuss T3 therapy with your doctor and we will be happy to discuss your case with your doctor. Your doctor can call 800.420.5801. The object of T3 therapy is to normalize your oral body temperatures to average 98.6 (37 C.) during treatment. Doing so can help to bring your metabolism back to normal in all the tissues in your body.

 

REFERENCES
Celi FS, Zemskova M, Linderman JD, et al. Metabolic effects of liothyronine therapy in hypothyroidism: a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial of liothyronine versus levothyroxine. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2011 Nov;96(11):3466-74.

Agnihothri RV, Courville AB, Linderman JD, et al. Moderate weight loss is sufficient to affect thyroid hormone homeostasis and inhibit its peripheral conversion. Thyroid. 2014 Jan;24(1):19-26.

 

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