WEIGHT LOSS: HYPOTHYROIDISM, THE UNDERLYING ISSUE

If you're a carpenter, everything looks like it needs a nail. When you're a nutritionist, it seems as though every problem can be solved by tossing a salad at it. But those of us in the nutrition business have to realize that sometimes the problem may not be diet related. Other issues may be involved in weight control. And this is where most diet programs fall apart. They don't take into account the incredible complexity of the body. As I've already pointed out, unless the body's internal regulatory mechanisms are working correctly, all the diet modifications in the world won't work. You have to fix the underlying problem. In fact, the diet itself may create the problem.

Diets that are too low in fat; too high in highly processed fats; too high in refined carbohydrates; too low in complex carbohydrates; too low in protein; deficient in iodine, magnesium, zinc, chromium, or vanadium; too low in water; too high in thyroid-suppressing foods like cabbage or kale (an unlikely situation!); or too high in plant estrogens like soy protein powders all help to suppress the metabolic rate and make the body run slower, that is, more efficiently, on fewer calories. If this is your situation, you may lose a few pounds at the beginning, but suddenly all weight loss comes to a grinding halt. Why? Because you've begun to pull down the energy-producing giant of your body's own metabolism—the thyroid gland.

Tell your friends you're overweight because of "glandular problems" and you'll hear them chuckle behind your back: "She just needs to push herself away from the table." Now, even health professionals are beginning to see that a dysfunctional thyroid is indeed an issue with great numbers of Americans. Weight gain is only one side effect of hypothyroidism, the word we use to describe low thyroid activity.

"I gave òó clothes to òó dad and laughed. I can cheat once in a while and not feel guilty. I'll never gain the weight back again because I'm in control."

JOHN

The tiny thyroid gland has an enormous impact on the rest of the body. It is truly a giant in terms of influence; the cascade of biochemical events that creates this influence is both complex and fascinating. It doesn't actually start with the thyroid, however. The thyroid is Upper Management in terms of body organization. The thyroid is the Vice President of Operations, controlling the rest of the body upon orders from the top—the pituitary gland—which takes its orders from the hypothalamus, an even tinier organ nestled deep inside the brain at Corporate

Headquarters.

The cascade of hormonal events starts with the hypothalamus, an endocrine organ located in the bottom portion of the brain, and leads to the stimulation of thyroid hormones in peripheral cells throughout the body. When blood thyroid hormone levels drop, the hypothalamus secretes TRH (thyrotropin releasing hormone), which signals the pituitary gland to secrete TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone). TSH enters the bloodstream, travels to the thyroid gland, and stimulates it to produce thyroxine (T4), a biologically inactive thyroid hormone which is then converted by an enzyme 5'-deiodinase into the biologically active thyroid hormone T3 (liothyronine). Partial T3 conversion takes place inside the thyroid gland, but primarily it takes place within cells throughout the body.

As T3 circulates through the bloodstream, it attaches to and enters cells via receptor sites on the cell membrane. Once inside, T3 increases each cell's metabolic rate, including body temperature, and arouses the cells to high anabolic (building) activity, stimulating the production of over 300,000 different protein bodies, such as hormones, enzymes, neurotransmitters, and muscle tissue. T3 also increases the utilization of oxygen and the excretion of carbon dioxide, a process that favors high metabolic activity. The active thyroid hormone is critical to an efficient, high-energy body.

In short, thyroid hormones control metabolism—the total of all processes involved in keeping the body alive and energized. It includes both anabolic (building) and catabolic (breakdown) processes. Both anabolic and catabolic functions are critically and equally important, and both require energy. The amount of energy available to do these tasks is governed by the thyroid gland, or more accurately, by the hormones produced by the thyroid gland and received into the cell.

Each tier in the three-step process involved in thyroid function needs to be operative if the thyroid hormone is to effectively govern the body's metabolism—the initial production of T4, the conversion of T4 to T3, and the uptake of T3 through the cell wall. Any of these steps can malfunction for reasons including calorie restricted diets, systemic illness, certain medications, or selenium deficiency, which results in lowered metabolic rate and hypothyroidism, or other nutrient deficiences.

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