Low thyroid is a popular, yet overlooked epidemic. In fact, statisically, 60% of American’s have hypothroid and don’t even know it. And as popular of a subject as weight loss is, not too many people investigate the importance of thyroid health in relation to the subject.
In this post, we will cover the incredible importance of the thyroid in relationship to a healthy metabolism and weight loss.
WHAT IS THE THYROID?
The thyroid is an endocrine gland and important part of the endocrine system, which regulates the rate at which the body utilizes oxygen and energy to regulate organs function. This is a massive role in the metabolism that is responsible for regulating:
- Breathing
- Heart rate
- Central and peripheral nervous systems
- Body weight
- Muscle growth and development
- Hair growth
- Skin
- Menstrual cycles›
- Body temperature
- Cholesterol levels
- And more
Without a healthy, functioning thyroid these crucial physiological functions begin to fail. Because the thyroid is intimately connected to the adrenals, hypothalamus, pituitary and other organs, such as the liver, when it fails, these other glands and organs cannot perform their jobs. Looking at the liver and thyroid connection specifically, these two play the main roles in weight loss or gain. Together they govern metabolic function, the secretion of fat from the body and the regulation of the various hormones that effect our weight.
Therefore, if your thyroid (or your liver) is sluggish and impaired you’re likely to run into not just weight problems, but a lot of other health problems, including:
- Edema
- Depression
- PMS
- Dry skin
- Thinning hair, hair loss
- Fatigue, always tired
- Chronic constipation
- Poor digestion
- SAD (Seasonal affectiveness disorder)
- Poor circulation (cold hands and feet)
- Hormonal imbalance
- High cholesterol
STRESS HORMONES & THYROID
Perhaps the most common cause of low thyroid function is the chronic secretion of stress hormone. The stress can occur from pyschological stress, aging, hormone imbalance, infection, trauma, fever, poor nutrition, lack of sleep, over exercising or other factors. Really, any activity that throws the body out of equillibrium too strongly will cause an increase production of stress hormone. And the various stress hormones suppress real thyroid function.
For example, cortisol inhibits the conversion of T4 to T3, which is responsible for cellular respiration, energy production and carbon dioxide. Adrenaline, increases the production of cortisol but is also lipolytic, meaning it releases fatty acids which, if are polyunsaturated (and usually are if you grew up eating a processed foods diet), inhibit the production and movement of thyroid hormone, and directly inhibit mitochondrial respiration. Adrenaline, another stress hormone, also decreases the conversion of T4 to T3.
SUGAR FOR THYROID FUNCTION
Sugar consumption (sucrose and fructose) assists thyroid function and due to the interrelatedness of glucose and cortisol, sugar directly suppresses cortisol. As blood glucose drops, cortisol rises, so consuming appropriate amounts of sugar is actually protective against the inflammatory effets of cortisol. And since excessive cortisol causes blood sugar to drop, this leads to a more dramatic release of hunger hormones, making a person more likely to overeat. Not to mention, cortisol directly inhibits proper thyroid and metabolic function, decreasing the rate at which a person metabolizes their food, in other words, they burn calories less efficiently.
Furthermore, sugar and its ability to lower cortisol can directly protect against the breakdown of muscle tissue (catabolism). This is great news for those looking to lose weight, because muscle tissue improves metabolic efficiency (more muscle = more calories burned).
Learn more about the best type of sugars, carbohydrates and other foods/nutrients to consume and which ones to avoid for optimal thyroid function in my Healthy Weight Loss course.
VITAMIN A FOR THYROID
Another simple, dietary change you can make if you’re dealing with weight gain and hypothyroidism, is to get in more vitamin A.
Vitamin A is essential for the production and synthesis of T3 (thyroid hormone) and therefore is a must for healthy thyroid function. Also, because the thyroid governs metabolism, vitamin A is essential for healthy weight loss, a strong immune system, good vision, and overall cellular communication. Just a subtle deficiency in vitamin A can result in the symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Another reason vitamin A is so helpful for the thyroid is because we need vitamin A to produce testosterone (to balance the testosterone:estrogen), to produce progesterone and to metabolize estrogen. If estrogen is chronically higher than testosterone and progesterone, this will block the production of thyroid hormone.
In fact, according to Dr. Ray Peat, “Estrogen blocks the release of hormone from the thyroid gland, and progesterone facilitates the release. Estrogen excess or progesterone deficiency tends to cause enlargement of the thyroid gland, in association with a hypothyroid state.”
One final thing to understand is that not all vitamin A is the same. Plant-based vitamin A is a carotenoid and must be metabolized by the liver, and even if the liver is healthy enough to do this, it does so poorly. What we want is retinol forms of vitamin A. This is the bioavailable or active form of vitamin A, which comes from animal foods that have already converted the carotenoids. The best sources include grass-fed, organic butter, eggs, whole milk, cream, and liver. I highly suggest consuming liver once per week, it is hands down the best source of vitamin A, as well as other important, pro-metabolic nutrients that support thyroid and weight loss. If you cannot tolerate eating liver, then I suggest at least taking liver supplements.
CONCLUSION
As I talk about in great depth in my online course Healthy Weight Loss, trouble with your weight is ultimately caused by poor digestion, sluggish thyroid function, slow metabolism, hormonal imbalance, and stress. Focusing solely on “weight loss” is therefore a futile goal that usually generates other problems. Ideally, if you wish to achieve true, healthy weight loss, you want to take a systemic approach that addresses the body as a whole.
To learn more, enroll in my online course Healthy Weight Loss!