Thyroid function and excess weight

Sometimes women gain weight and don't even suspect the true reasons for this. And the culprits may be hormones produced by the thyroid gland. Slowing down or too much activity of its work can lead to excess weight, which is very difficult to normalize

What interferes with the functioning of the thyroid gland?

Some foods that are marketed as healthy contain substances that inhibit the thyroid gland. These substances are called isoflavones.

They are found in soybeans (which are often recommended for weight loss, but their properties are often the opposite), clover, which can be used as herbal teas, and other foods.

Hormonal experiment

As an experiment, cow breeders have proven that animals that frequently consume red clover cannot conceive and give birth. And a person who frequently consumes products containing isoflavones is also often diagnosed with infertility.

The reason is the effect of isoflavones on the functioning of the ovaries, which produce sex hormones necessary for conception and gestation. And on the functioning of the thyroid gland, which has the ability to control weight and other processes in the body with the help of hormones.

Soy on your table

There are now many stores that sell soy products. Even soy milk. If people knew that soy additives in your menu, consumed constantly, can provoke excess weight, obesity, inability to conceive! And these destructive processes will be difficult to stop.

The fact is that soy supplements containing isoflavones can significantly reduce levels of the thyroid hormone T3, which affects weight control and fertility.

How do thyroid hormones interact with sex hormones?

They are in close cooperation. Thyroid hormones interact with sex hormones, improving the functioning of not only the immune system, but also the reproductive system.

If the functioning of the reproductive organs is disrupted, the thyroid hormones try to interact with the sex hormones in order to normalize it.

The structure of the ovaries contains receptors for thyroid hormones. And the thyroid gland, in turn, contains receptors for those hormones that immediately react to changes in the functioning of the ovaries. Here is your chain.

If the functioning of organs is impaired

If the thyroid gland is not functioning properly, this immediately affects a woman’s ability to conceive and bear a child, and the risk of developing ovarian diseases and menstrual irregularities increases.

When the ovaries produce less sex hormones, the thyroid gland weakens significantly, and this poses a risk of developing obesity - primarily in the waist area.

If you suspect that your ovaries are not working well, get your sex hormones and thyroid hormones checked. If your testosterone and estradiol hormones, which are produced by your ovaries, are abnormal, your metabolism slows down significantly.

What does it look like?

As a result, fat tissue accumulates more and more, and muscle tissue is lost – the body becomes unattractive, flabby, with cellulite areas.

And a decrease in the production of sex hormones means that the level of thyroid hormone production automatically decreases and, as a result, the functioning of the brain centers is disrupted.

Risk groups are women during menopause and before it. Their production of sex hormones slows down more and more with age. Men do not have such problems - their hormone production fades very slowly and gradually.

So don't be surprised when you see a man and a woman on the beach who are about the same age but have different degrees of flabbiness. It's biologically determined - men will be better preserved with age.

Stress hormone and excess weight

If the body has a high level of the stress hormone cortisol, this directly affects the increase in fat deposits. Cortisol increases with a decrease in the level of estradiol, a female hormone.

The longer a woman lives, the less estrogen her body produces. Accordingly, the level of cortisol automatically increases, and the thyroid gland becomes weaker.

This means that it is much more difficult to control your weight than in your younger years, since the thyroid gland affects the amount of fat in our body.

How does cortisol work?

It has the ability to influence human behavior, causing its changes - from tearfulness to aggression (it is not for nothing that it is a stress hormone). Due to cortisol, the level of thyroid hormones decreases significantly, since these hormones - T3 and T4 - are automatically converted into bound, that is, passive, which do not participate in the body's work.

And this causes a slowdown in metabolism and an increase in fat deposits.

That is why it is essential to undergo hormone tests as soon as you feel that your depressive state does not go away, and this is associated with the constant gain of extra pounds.

Thyroid hormones and the sensation of pain

Our body has many receptors responsible for the reaction to pain. A person can feel less or more pain, depending on the work of these receptors. For example, with some diseases (flu, inflammation), even touching the body can cause irritability, not to mention injections.

So, thyroid hormones work closely with pain receptors. They can slow down or activate their work, which causes a person's pain to increase or decrease.

This is why myalgia – severe and constant muscle pain – is associated with the work of thyroid hormones.

Thyroid hormones affect brain function and a person's mood. The brain is a machine that needs more energy than any other part of the body. It takes this energy from the cells. And thyroid hormones have the ability to affect cell membranes.

If this effect is too active, a person may experience sleep disorders, memory problems, poor concentration, and depressive states that do not go away even after taking tranquilizers.

If you have noticed signs of mood swings, pain, increased fat, take thyroid hormone tests. Their level will show what measures need to be taken.

How do thyroid hormones affect muscle function?

Thyroid hormones take the most active part in the metabolic processes occurring in muscle tissue. That is, they directly affect the work of muscles. If the hormones do not work actively, there are not enough of them, then muscle tissue can be destroyed and look unattractive. Any methods of building it up - the gym, steroids - will not give results.

At the same time, the amount of fat in the body increases, and it becomes increasingly difficult to burn it even with active physical activity. Muscle pain, bad mood (thyroid function affects brain activity), poor sleep, and decreased sexual desire may be added to this.

Thyroid function and bone tissue

If the production of thyroid hormones is slow or, conversely, increased, this can affect the formation and condition of bones. In more detail, thyroid hormones affect how oxygen is supplied to bone muscle cells. If these supplies are insufficient, a person may experience muscle pain.

Muscles begin to work worse, hurt, and tire quickly. A person is unable to do anything for a long time, and this makes him irritated and nervous. This is what thyroid hormones are capable of.

How do thyroid hormones affect the heart? This small but important organ – the heart – suffers most from the malfunctioning of the thyroid gland. It would seem, what connection could there be between them? There is, and a very serious one.

If too much or too little thyroid hormone is produced, the heart muscle fibers can be destroyed. The oxygen supply to the heart muscles can be weak due to improper hormone function, and then a person risks heart rhythm disturbances and other heart problems. In particular, a heart attack.

Be careful with the medications you are prescribed. Taking large doses of medications aimed at improving the functioning of the thyroid gland can negatively affect the functioning of the heart.

Scientists have not yet fully studied the principle of this harmful effect, but the fact remains. Be careful when taking medications, and do so only on the advice of a doctor.

Hormonal tests: how to do them correctly?

When you take tests, even hormonal ones, many of them cannot give an accurate picture of your health. In particular, the functioning of the thyroid gland. But its important role in the accumulation of fat deposits and loss of control over weight has long been proven.

When you take hormone tests, you can only be told about the total amount of hormones - some or other. But you need to know specifically how much T3 and T4 hormones are in free form in your body.

These are the very hormones of the thyroid gland that control the processes of weight management or weight loss, and also affect the functioning of the heart muscle and the strength of bone tissue.

Knowing the level of these hormones, you can control your weight and other processes in the body.

Hormonal tests for overweight women

What hormonal tests are needed for such women?

• Free form thyroid hormones - T3 and T4
• Ultra-sensitive main switchboard
• Antimicrosomal antibodies
• Antithyroglobulin antibodies
• Hormone that causes thyroid insensitivity

These tests do not require a specific time. They can be done on any day and at any time of the menstrual cycle (if you have not yet entered menopause).

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Thyroid hormone resistance

Such a thing exists. And for this type of non-perception of hormones by the body, special tests are needed. Namely, a test for tissue non-perception of hormones T3 and T4.

At the same time - please note - the level of these hormones may be within the normal range. And the body temperature - too. So the doctor will be able to determine problems with the thyroid gland only by this analysis.