Why are Women more likely to have Thyroid Problems?

We know that women are more likely than men to have low levels of thyroid hormone, which is an indicator of thyroid problems.  A big reason for this is that women have higher estrogen levels than men and estrogens blunt the effect of thyroid hormone.

Let’s take this a step further.  Certain diseases are believed (by many functional medicine doctors) to be related to low levels of thyroid hormone.  These diseases include: Alzheimer’s, Cancer, Depression, Diabetes, Osteoporosis, and Strokes.  These all happen to be diseases that occur at a higher rate in women than men.

I recently heard Dr. Roby Mitchell MD ask the question if the reason these diseases occur more frequently in women than men is that women have lower levels of thyroid hormone than men.  This is an interesting point because when thyroid hormone levels decline, the levels of inflammation in the body goes up.  It is well-known that as inflammation levels go up, many chronic diseases occur.

Dr. Mitchell believes that as thyroid hormone levels decline, the immune system becomes weak, which allow an overgrowth of candida in the body.  This overgrowth of candida causes the increase in inflammation.

I personally find this relevant because of the large percentage of patients that have low thyroid hormone and an accompanying array of other problems that occur after their thyroid hormone levels drop.

A blood test indicator is called TSH, which is the “message” that your pituitary gland sends to your thyroid gland.  According to Dr. Mitchell, if your TSH level goes above 1.0, it is likely that your thyroid gland is underperforming, which allows candida to overgrow.

As people age, they are more predisposed to hypothyroidism.  People with belly fat produce more estrogen, which reduces thyroid hormones.

If you have belly fat, do something to lose it (click here)

If you have a slow thyroid or suspect that you do, get your blood work done and analyzed by an experienced doctor who helps with thyroid problems (click here).