People tend to believe that they gain weight because they eat too much or do not exercise enough or have an unhealthy lifestyle. While those things can contribute to weight gain, doctor’s warn that sometimes unexplained or ongoing weight gain is not just due to poor eating habits and lack of physical activity. An often-missed reason for sudden and/or unmanageable weight changes is thyroid dysfunction.
In this article, Dr. Kalyan Kumar Gangopadhyay , Endocrinologist , CK Birla Hospitals, CMRI, explained the various risk factors that can contribute to weight gain.
The thyroid gland (located in the front of the neck) creates hormones that help control how fast the body metabolizes food into energy. If the thyroid is not producing enough hormone(s), this is referred to as hypothyroidism.
How an Underactive Thyroid Affects Metabolism and Weight
A person who has hypothyroidism will have a much lower metabolic rate than a person with a well-functioning thyroid. Because their metabolic rate is so much slower, a person with hypothyroidism will burn calories more slowly than someone who has a well-functioning thyroid gland. The result of a slowed metabolism is a feeling of fatigue/sluggishness, accumulation of water weight, and a gradual increase in weight even if there are no significant changes to a person’s dietary habits.
Thyroid-Related Weight Gain: Symptoms Often Overlooked
Thyroid-related weight gain poses a unique obstacle because it usually occurs alongside additional symptoms that people tend to dismiss. Fatigue, hair loss, dry skin, difficulty concentrating, mood swing/changes, constipation, sleep disturbances and sensitivity to the cold are frequently dismissed as normal stress or lifestyle exhaustion factors. In particular, women may overlook these symptoms since they often occur with hormonal fluctuations, menstrual changes, pregnancy, or as a result of the physical and emotional toll of balancing work and family.
Does Everyone With Thyroid Disease Gain Weight?
Another common myth regarding thyroid patients is that they will all gain significant amounts of weight. In reality, thyroid-associated weight gain tends to be moderate weight gain over a long period of time and very difficult to reverse unless there is proper hormonal management. People often feel frustrated that they continue to gain weight after attempting to lose through dieting, exercising, or engaging in popular wellness practices, without being aware that they have an imbalance in their thyroid function which is disrupting their metabolism.
Today, lifestyle choices common to many people in urban societies can directly impact the growth of thyroid disorders. Factors such as chronic stress, irregular sleeping patterns, sedentary behaviours, poor dietary habits, environmental exposures and increasing amounts of autoimmune disease have all been recently linked to an increase in the occurrence of thyroid dysfunction among younger patients. As a result, physicians are diagnosing thyroid conditions at an earlier age than previously seen.
Early Diagnosis and Treatment Can Help Manage Thyroid Symptoms
As much as thyroid disorders can be debilitating; they are manageable if diagnosed early through the use of a thyroid function test and followed up with regular medical attention. Adequate treatment allows for the restoration of hormonal balance and will also help to increase energy levels, improve mood, improve metabolism and enhance overall health. Thyroid medication should never be self-prescribed or abruptly stopped without consulting with a physician.
A common myth associated with thyroid disease is that one must be overweight. Although there are metabolic effects associated with an imbalance in the thyroid gland, not all individuals with obesity will have thyroid dysfunction. Thus, a thorough medical evaluation must be done prior to determining the actual cause of obesity.
The body can signal a hormonal problem that requires medical intervention through weight gain or loss (just like other indicators). If more people are aware of how the thyroid affects the body, they will be able to get a timely diagnosis as opposed to suffering with symptoms for many years before they were examined.
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