How thyroid affects body composition
Recently, specialist don’t tell too much about the hormones that are necessary for the proper functioning of our body. It is thanks to them that we have good or bad mood, we gain weight or have no problem with losing unnecessary kilograms, etc. What exactly are they for us and what is worth knowing?
Hormones are chemicals secreted by endocrine glands: the pituitary gland, adrenal glands, pancreas or even the thyroid gland that regulate the rate of our metabolism and affect our body cells depending on the purpose.
Today we look at the meaning of the thyroid gland in our body.
About thyroid gland
The thyroid gland is located below the larynx, on the front surface of the trachea. By the action of the pituitary gland – thyrotropin (TSH) it secretes 2 hormones into the bloodstream
- T3 – thyroxine
- T4 – triiodothyronine
For the production of these hormones, the body needs material such as iodine, which is supplied with food. Iodine deficiency in the daily diet causes disorders in the secretion of thyroid hormones. As a result, the increased amount of the TSH hormone causes the thyroid gland to grow, which we call goiter.
What are some functions of our gland’s hormones?
- Effect on protein metabolism. In the case of excess hormones, it leads to the breakdown of this compound and thus stop the building of muscle mass!
- Effect on carbohydrate metabolism. They increase blood glucose levels, which means that our body will not optimally use this energy source despite a balanced diet! In addition, it may cause type 1 diabetes.
- Effect on the nervous system. It leads to mental retardation even to cretinism. The effect of hormonal deregulation is a slowing of thought processes or excessive excitability, so a 100% workers won’t be effective at work!
Generally,effect of thyroid hormone deficiency are: drowsiness, constant fatigue, weight gain, while excess causes weight loss or even increased sweating.
How to test the thyroid gland?
- TSH, FT3, FT4 levels
- Thyroid antigens
- USG
I wish you health!
Literature:
- Fizjologia człowieka, Jan Górski PZWL 2010
- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17108241
- ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29952420