T2 supplement

[teenarocks]

Recently I learned that T2 is available as a supplement. I decided to try it. I have experienced marked improvement. I'm thinking more clearly, able to concentate better and seem to have more energy and am motivated to engage in more activity. I'm wondering why T2 isn't promoted more. I am in the States and able to purchase it over-the-counter.

[FallingInReverse]

Which OTC T2 supplement are you taking ? Can you provide a link or pic of the label.

T2 is marketed and studied as a weight loss and workout supplement, and probably has other vitamins or herbal extracts of unregulated quality & quantity. Even the most glowing of recommendations note these are completely untested, inconsistent and have side effects and risks that are unknown whether they outweigh any benefits there might be.

Depending on where you are in your hypo journey, it seems smart to closely monitor your free Ts while you are taking it.

I’d just be careful - anecdotal benefits are what they are, but t2 does impact the HPT axis so just be careful if you are managing actual Hashis or Hypo problems.

These two articles do a good job touching on the big issues:

First:

restartmed.com/side-effects...

Even Westin Childs - who is trying to sell us a supplement- doesn’t have anything definitive to say other than - hey, it’s worth trying! But even he is hawking it for its metabolic and weight loss benefits. Which for me is a red flag for junk science.

Second:

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

This one is a scientific paper that is worth reading in full but, its conclusion is this:

in addition to increased metabolism and reduced fat mass, T2 administration also leads to suppression of the HPT axis, increased food intake, and cardiac hypertrophy. A particular point of concern is the observation that the lower dose of T2 used by the authors exerts negligible effects on adiposity and metabolic outcomes, yet results in a marked suppression of the HPT axis leading to reduced levels of circulating T4 and T3 (and presumably TSH), with unknown long-term consequences. The implication of this finding is that, for a given dose, the detrimental effects of T2 on the HPT axis may preferentially occur before the intended metabolic ones. Thus, for the time being, these new data should compel users of T2-containing supplements to assess their thyroid status, err on the side of caution, and limit their daily dose, as appropriate.

You may note the date is 2015, and wonder if there is anything more recent. I couldn’t find anything - and even Westin Childs article footnotes this one.

[helvella Administrator]

The doses of T2 which appear to be available would worry me.

If you took 100 micrograms of T4 and converted it, in two steps, to T2, you would get 68 micrograms of T2. Assuming conversion were absolutely 100% perfect.

Of course, human conversions are far from perfect and there can be things like excretion of T4 and T3 to reduce the amount of T2 still further,

But T2 as a supplement appears to be being sold in amounts of 100 to 180 micrograms.

Which I find very concerning without adequate science applied to back up that dose. It is far higher than I would consider taking even if I decided I would try T2.

And there is confusion as you can find both 3,5 and 3,3 forms (isomers) of T2.

I'm pretty sure that the FDA will be considering and reviewing its status as an over-the-counter product. But such changes do sometimes take a long time to come through.

[FallingInReverse in reply to helvella]

The FDA doesn’t regulate supplements in the same way they do pharmaceuticals.

For supplements they regulate safety, and oversee that the function and mechanism of the supplement is accurately described, but they specifically don’t review or regulate claims.

[helvella Administrator in reply to FallingInReverse]

No - I think we see that. But I wouldn't be surprised if T2 were reclassified as a "drug" - just like T4 and T3.

Not keen on the word "drug" - it is a replacement hormone which is somewhat different!

[FallingInReverse in reply to helvella]

Yes, in complete agreement!

But important to say - right now none of these T2 supplements are regulated pharmaceuticals nor regulated OTC products (even though you can buy them “over the counter”…)

Supplement claims, doses, and quality control are completely unregulated.

The only regulation one might say they are under is the requirement to be clear that they have not been evaluated… hence the warning on every label stating:

“Statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.”

I guess you guys in the Uk don’t have that legal disclaimer right? As it’s the US FDA’s legal disclaimer.

And whereas ALL vitamins and supplements here have similar (from three arrows iron through basic vitamins you can buy at Walgreens), that’s why it’s on us to understand the biological mechanisms for each, and thresholds for too little or limits for how much… and for us delicately managing diagnoses hypo, how it would interfere with our actual life-saving exogenous thyroid hormones.

teenarocks the above would be why you don’t hear too much about it. Studies show it definitely increases metabolism, but the impact it has in your HPT axis is actually unknown. So just because we have T2 naturally as part of our total thyroid function, does not mean taking it exogenously will biologically slip right into the body’s cellular chain reactions and top off your thyroid function.

That’s all the say if you are going to take it, I would want to know what’s in it, how much, and what the claim is for how it’s working in your body, since you can’t trust the label of a workout/weight loss supplement at face value.

Which one are you taking?” And what’s on the label?