THE THYROID is a bow-tie shaped gland that sits in the lower part of the neck in front of the wind-pipe. Its function is to regulate the body’s metabolic rate. If thyroid function deteriorates it can give rise to a range of symptoms including fatigue, weight gain, low libido, sensitivity to cold, cold hands and feet, and fluid retention. The diagnosis of low thyroid function is usually made on the result of a blood test where the level of certain hormones in the bloodstream is measured. The hormones it produces are largely responsible for our metabolism, the process by which the body digests food and turns it into energy.
If you have an underactive thyroid you will burn fewer calories, causing excess calories to be stored in your body as fat. If you are also feeling tired, because your body is being supplied with less energy, you are also less likely to want to get up and do some exercise so you will burn even less calories than usual, doubling the weight gain effect.
Vicky Koumazis started putting on weight about two years ago for no apparent reason. Because it was building up slowly, she didn’t really take much notice, putting it down to comfort eating during the winter months coupled with a reluctance to go back to the gym. When she topped 65kg – 10kg more than her usual weight – she realised she had a problem. “I am only just over five foot,” says Vicky, “so any excess weight really shows.” Her doctor suggested she have a thyroid test, which she did, but it came back normal. However, determined to manage her weight problem she went on a diet, which was slow and “very boring”. She eventually lost eight kilos, but it took a lot of will-power and about six months. The following year Vicky had another test and this time it showed she had an underactive thyroid.
“I knew all along that I had a problem,” Vicky explained. “I just didn’t know what it was. I wasn’t menopausal, nor was I eating more than my normal amount of food, and although exercise isn’t part of my daily routine, I run around a lot. I work full-time, and have two young children, so I’m kept pretty busy overall. However, there were days when I was so tired I couldn’t get up in the morning. I suffered from palpitations regularly, felt very sleepy during the day and was breathless a lot of the time. However, when my doctor put me on 100mcg of thyroxine tablets, my symptoms just miraculously disappeared. I now go to be checked every two to three months.”
Vicky’s diagnosis was hypothyroidism, meaning she produced a reduced level of thyroid hormone (thyroxine). This can cause various symptoms, the most common being tiredness, weight gain, constipation, aches, dry skin, lifeless hair and feeling cold. Treatment is usually easy by taking a tablet each day to replace the missing thyroxine. Thyroxine, which is the synthetic form of thyroid hormone, is designed to replace what your body is unable to produce naturally. When the thyroid is not working properly, one of the most common symptoms is either weight gain, or weight that is hard to lose. Problems with the thyroid are much more common than people realise and women are four times more likely to suffer thyroid problems than men – and doctors don’t yet know why. A lot of women, like Vicky, don’t even realise they have a problem until they have piled on the pounds.
Dr Stephen Clough, specialist consultant in thyroid conditions in the UK says, “the reason a thyroid condition can go on for a number of years without being diagnosed is that most people just put it down to feeling tired and stressed.”
The condition can be caused by being born without a thyroid gland, which requires immediate treatment, or an auto-immune response. This is when antibodies start attacking healthy tissue in the body, but experts are still unsure why. The two most common thyroid conditions are hypothyroidism – an underactive thyroid, and hyperthyroidism – an over active thyroid.
Clough goes on to say, “other symptoms of hypothyroidism include feeling more and more tired, with your skin and hair becoming very dry. Your body temperature also drops and your bowel may become underactive.”
The condition can be hard to spot as many working women and busy mums can put the symptoms down to overwork and not eating properly. A classic symptom for thyroid disorders is also a swollen neck, known as a goitre, as the gland struggles to work properly. Women who have not yet gone through the menopause may also experience a change in their menstrual cycle. “The periods will become heavier rather than lighter,” says Clough.
A lot of people like Vicky, who have been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, know that they will always struggle with maintaining good weight management, but identifying the problem at least puts them one step ahead in controlling it.
How to help a sluggish thyroid
If you have been given medication to stimulate the thyroid, making dietary changes or taking nutritional supplements on top would be unwise. If the dosage is correct then symptoms such as overweight, lethargy, sensitivity to cold, hair loss, skin problems and decreased libido will start to disappear.
It could be, however, that some people just have a more mild case of sluggish thyroid that isn’t being treated with drugs. In this case the functioning of the thyroid can be improved with the right sort of diet. Sufficient iodine (from milk, fish and iodised salt) is important as this is the main nutrient involved in thyroid hormone manufacture.
Also make sure there is enough selenium in your diet as this is also required for the formation of thyroid hormones. One easy way to get enough selenium is to eat a couple of Brazil nuts every day – they should provide all you need.
Some foods, particularly those of the brassica family (cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and cauliflower), contain chemicals called ‘goitrogens’ that interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis. Cooking appears to inactivate these chemicals though, so they are only a problem eaten raw. Peanuts also contain goitrogens, but unless you eat them in excessive quantities it shouldn’t be a problem.
Be warned that dietary changes should only be made if you are sure that the diagnosis of low thyroid hormone production is correct. High intakes of iodine can actually precipitate thyroid problems in people who are producing the hormone in the correct quantities as the excess iodine prevents the release of the hormone into the bloodstream.
