Thyroid hormone and the Liver

[helvella]

Liver issues - non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, various lipid issues, etc., are very commonly discussed here.

This paper appears to be worth a look.

Thyroid hormone and the Liver

Soares De Oliveira, Lorraine; Ritter, Megan J.

Author Information

Hepatology Communications 9(1):e0596, January 2025. | DOI: 10.1097/HC9.0000000000000596

Abstract

It is known that thyroid hormone can regulate hepatic metabolic pathways including cholesterol, de novo lipogenesis, fatty acid oxidation, lipophagy, and carbohydrate metabolism. Thyroid hormone action is mediated by the thyroid hormone receptor (THR) isoforms and their coregulators, and THRβ is the main isoform expressed in the liver. Dysregulation of thyroid hormone levels, as seen in hypothyroidism, has been associated with dyslipidemia and metabolic dysfunction–associated fatty liver disease. Given the beneficial effects of thyroid hormone in liver metabolism and the advances illuminating the use of thyroid hormone analogs such as resmetirom as therapeutic agents in the treatment of metabolic dysfunction–associated fatty liver disease, this review aims to further explore the relationship between TH, the liver, and metabolic dysfunction–associated fatty liver disease. Herein, we summarize the current clinical therapies and highlight future areas of research.

Open access here:

journals.lww.com/hepcomm/fu...

Blue Sky post found here:

bsky.app/profile/ebtapper.b...

[elaar]

Thanks for posting. Personally I think people should be medicated loosely based on past (normal) Cholesterol levels (assuming patients know of previous healthy cholesterol readings they've had, and also that there's no other diseases involved which can also affect cholesterol).

It wouldn't be perfect, and potentially risky in some cases, but at least with T3 titrated to bring cholesterol levels to the normal range, you would *hope* that other liver abnormalities (bile acid, malabsorption etc.) would also fall into line.

That's my theory anyway, and anything is better than relying on TSH only.

[sparkly]

Yep, had both fatty liver and iffy cholesterols for years until recently. Wish I could understand medical papers..struggling to understand anything anymore

[Zephyrbear in reply to sparkly]

You’re not alone… I used to be able to read and comprehend most things but now I’m reduced to merely reading. 😢

[sparkly in reply to Zephyrbear]

I've already had early onset dementia ruled out but things are really bad now. I feel my thyroid is involved in someway

[elaar in reply to sparkly]

To be fair, I think the majority of people fail to understand at least some of text in these papers, with dozens of acronyms and funny named enzymes, co-facters, gene-expressions, proteins etc etc.. Half of it is a different language, it's certainly not easy reading, and I gloss over a lot of it to try to find key points.

[helvella in reply to sparkly]

I think the majority are too difficult to fully understand.

Sometimes, though, the important thing is to know that there are such connections. To realise if someone tries to dismiss the issues. And not be in a position of actually accepting and believing everything we are told.

[jgelliss in reply to helvella]

Thank Helvella for a Great Post. I'm interested to understand that if one is not dosed Optimally that fatty liver is possible to have?

[helvella in reply to jgelliss]

As I read it, yes.

But simply taking thyroid hormone(s) - or increasing doses - has not always been viable. That is because doing so can mean too much in other parts of the body. Hence the interest in substances which have a similar effect to thyroid hormones but for some reason affect one part more than another.

[jgelliss in reply to helvella]

Amazing . Thank you so much for Helvella for clarifying it for me. Much appreciated.