Hypothyroidism is a deficiency in thyroid hormone production and its consequences may be worse than what you thought...
According to the
CDC (Center For Disease Control & Prevention), roughly over 30 million Americans (about 10% of the population) have some form of diabetes, with at least 21 million Americans diagnosed and roughly 1 in 4 people unaware that they have it). Additionally, about 1 in 3 Americans (roughly over 90 million Americans) have prediabetes, the precursor stage to diabetes. Diabetes can cause a wide range of medical complications including heart disease, kidney failure, and blindness…
We know that thyroid disease is on the rise and uncontrollable weight gain is one of its main consequences. We also know that being overweight is a risk factor for diabetes. Therefore, it would be worth looking at research that presents the link between diabetes and thyroid disease. One study examined the association between thyroid function with incident diabetes as well as with the progression from prediabetes to diabetes in a cohort study of 8,452 participants with a mean age of 65. TSH levels, Free T4 (FT4) levels, were correlated with the occurrence of diabetes. Out of all the participants, 798 cases of diabetes were discovered over a mean follow-up period of about 8 years. Higher TSH levels, which means low thyroid hormone levels, were found to be associated with a higher risk for diabetes. Moreover, the risk of progressing from prediabetes to diabetes was significantly higher in individuals with low-normal thyroid function. Finally, people with high FT4 levels on the high end of the normal range were found to have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The given data from the cohort study tells us that hypothyroidism increases diabetes for Americans. This risk is even higher for those with prediabetes. This suggests that testing for thyroid dysfunction could give patients more insight on the severity of their risk of developing diabetes. Given that most cases of low thyroid function are caused by Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, an autoimmune thyroid disease, it is important to address that root cause. Patients with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis have a high level of body inflammation that makes them become more vulnerable to cardiovascular disease, diabetes and weight issues. Dr. Arem’s thyroid treatment program includes
ThyroLife Optima, a comprehensive and high quality mix of micronutrients, vitamins, and antioxidants that calm the immune system down, reduce body inflammation, and provide the thyroid with the tools it needs to perform optimally.
Sources:
Center for Disease Control & Prevention -
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics/2014statisticsreport.html
