Thyroid gland is a part of endocrine system & produces thyroid hormones which is essential for metabolic health.
Thyroid hormones regulate the body’s metabolic rate controlling, heart, muscle, digestive function, brain development & bone maintenance. The functioning of this hormone is a function of the amount of sodium in our diet. Cells producing Thyroid Hormones are very specialized in extracting sodium from bloodstream & transporting it hormones.
Pituitary gland produces Thyroid Stimulating Hormones(TSH) that gives signals to thyroid gland how much hormones to produce & secrete. TSH levels in the blood increase or decrease based upon your body’s need to produce more hormones.
Besides, there is a third participant in this communication- Thyroid Releasing Hormone(TRH). Pituitary gland either directly responds to Thyroid Hormone in the blood or responds to signals from hypothalamus which releases its own hormone-TRH. TRh in turn stimulates release of TSH which then signals to thyroid gland.
Thyroid gland produces Thyroxine (T4) which is relatively inactive prohormone. The highly active hormone is triiodothyronine(T3). Collectively both are called Thyroid Hormones. Thyroid Gland produces just 20% of T3 & 80% of inactive T4. Once secreted by Thyroid, enzymes in other cells such as liver & kidneys convert T4 into active T3. Besides, other hormone producing cells- C cells produce calcitonin. Calcitonin regulates calcium & phosphate levels in the blood which is necessary for bone health & maintenance.
Normally Thyroid glands produce an exact number of hormones to keep your metabolism intact. Hormone(TSH) secreted by the pituitary gland stays constant in blood circulation however TSH level keeps on changing based on T4 level in the blood. This hypothalamus-pituitary gland-thyroid feedback loops keeps T4 level in the blood stable & react to small changes immediately.
Thyroid related disorders
There are number of disorders related to thyroid gland, the most prominent being production of T3 & T4( Thyroid Hormones). Thyroid gland somes produces too many hormones called hyperthyroidism or too less hormones referred to as hypothyroidism. This results in the body using energy either too fast or too slow that it normally should.
Typical symptoms of hyperthyroidism include weight loss, fast heart rate, high irritation, muscle weakness, sleep problems, irregular menstruation cycle & eye irritation.
Symptoms of Hypothyroidism are exactly opposite- weight gain, slow heart rate, stronger & fast menstruation cycle, fatigue, forgetfulness, hoarse voice. Hypothyroidism is also accompanied by enlargement of the thyroid gland known as Goitre.
Hyperthyroidism & Hypothyroidism is caused by various factors:
Hypothyroidism
- Thyroiditis is inflammation of the thyroid gland which leads to producing less number of hormones. A special form of thyroiditis is a genetic disorder caused by immune system diseases & can be passed from one generation to another. Another form of Thyroiditis is called postpartum Thyroiditis which happens to women after giving birth.
- Nutrition deficiency impacts thyroid functions. Lack of sodium leads to hypothyroidism.
Hyperthyroidism
- Grave’s disease is a condition when your thyroid gland is overactive & produces too much hormone.
- Thyroid gland enlarges & may also lead to toxic goitre.
- In this case Thyroiditis may cause the opposite & release the hormone stored in thyroid gland. This release of excess hormones may lead to hyperthyroidism.
- Excess sodium intake will have a negative impact on thyroid gland. This may cause thyroid gland to produce too much or too less hormones in some people.
Sodium is the most essential part of our diet for smooth functioning of our thyroid. Daily & regular supply of sodium is important. Excess consumption of sodium may cause to produce less hormones. The best way to have optimum intake of sodium is to have a good consumption of healthy foods such as sea foods & dairy products.
