Could Thyroid Problems Be Affecting Your Weight?

When someone first complains of fatigue, depression and weight gain, the doctor might suggest doing more exercise, but when the problem persists, the person is referred to a psychiatrist. But eventually the person gets diagnosed, not with depression, but with a problem affecting the thyroid gland, which is a small butterfly shaped gland that is situated in the neck below the Adam’s apple.

Many people are generally unaware that where this gland is, let alone what its function is, yet it influences majority of body parts and can cause a wide variety of symptoms. As in some cases, symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for other problems such as depression, overwork or the effects of aging.

Thyroid problems are common affecting one in 20 people. They are generally common in women, with one in fourteen women having thyroid problems at some time in their lives, generally during their 20s and 30s, and after the age of 60.

Although not usually life threatening, thyroid problems can have a real affect on wellbeing. They can affect the moods, energy levels, tolerance of heat and cold and, in the case of women; their periods and in some cases even their fertility.

Thyroid gland has close relation with the weight gain and loss. This is because thyroid is the gland that is closely related with metabolism of the body. Metabolism, in simple words, is nothing but using the food particles to get energy and to perform various tasks of the body. It depends upon the metabolism that a person is fat or thin. In hypothyroidism, the thyroid gland is less active and hence the metabolism gets altered and the digestion process becomes slower and dull. The amount of energy one has to gain out of the food particles is much more reduced as compared to the normal function of the thyroid. Here, the body starts collecting the fats and the body becomes overweight.

On the other hand, in the case of hyperthyroidism, the thyroid glands secrets more thyroid hormone than it is required by the body. Result of that, the body has rapid metabolism and then the body start losing the weight. Here, the digestion and assimilation process is faster than required giving no chance to food to get stored for good purpose (nourishing the body) and to build the body.

In hypothyroidism, the most common symptoms are fatigue, lethargy and unexplained weight gain of about 3-4 kg. However, there are some symptoms like forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, dry, coarse hair, losing the hair, losing eyebrow hair, dryness of the skin, heavy menstrual periods, brittle nails, constipation and intolerance to the cold.

Some people, on the other hand, hyperthyroidism is a condition in which; thyroid produces larger amounts of thyroid hormone that can speed up the body’s metabolism. This can cause a rapid heartbeat. Other symptoms will be feeling hot and sweaty, nervousness and irritability. Patient has insomnia, bulging eyes, and an unblinking stare. Any of those conditions can be diagnosed very well with a simple blood test and in most of the cases; treatment with medication gives control over the malfunctioning thyroid gland.

‹ Previous Page