Disbelief, would love your input

[thyr01d]

Hallo all, I had one of those frustrating times a while ago with someone nameless who plays an important part on a well known thyroid site giving out advice. Frustrating because they informed me that there is no research showing that anyone needs T3 and saying that a double-blind research showed that those on placebo did as well as or better than those on T3. They also said under active thyroid causes no more than 8 lb weight gain, any more being a result of overeating or under exercise. They said also that Hashimoto's does not cause fluctuations in symptoms or weight gain but you just get one overactive episode then all underactive and believed that since they were able to function with a very high TSH those of us who can't, well, it's just a problem with attitude. It all left me feeling really sorry for anyone unable to lose weight or needing T3 who goes to that site for advice. Please, can anyone point me to research showing that some people do need T3 and that uat does cause weight gain over 8 lb? (I shall see this person again so will be able to pass things on and would ideally like to have peer reviewed, double blinded research)

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Follow the link below to diogenes' profile and read through what he has been posting - especially more recently.

healthunlocked.com/user/dio...

[thyr01d in reply to helvella]

Thank-you Helvella.

[SilverAvocado]

I was just remembering that I'd heard this argument about weight somewhere before. I'm not sure it was exactly the same figure, but they had some number of lb thry were confident was the max you could gain.

Luckily no one has actually said it to me. I've got no thyroid due to cancer, and have gained about 10 lb each time I've had no thyroid hormone at all in my body! This is one thing I think I'd really kick off about

It sounds like one of those claims that has come from a single ancient paper, that probably didn't even say what they think it said, then it grows into a myth that gets passed around by doctors. Similar to when people talk about the ratio of T4 to T3 made by a healthy thyroid, and other a-bit-too-specific factoids (with the definition of a factoid being something that isn't true).

One of those things where it would be nice to have the time to track down where it has come from.