Symptom 2. Weight Gain – A Misunderstood Consequence of Iodine Deficiency
Weight gain, a disconcerting yet widespread concern among women, is a common symptom of low iodine. However, the link between weight gain and iodine deficiency is often misunderstood or simply overlooked.
It’s important to understand that weight gain in this context is not due to overeating or lack of physical activity, as is often assumed. Instead, it’s an unexpected weight gain that creeps up and stays on despite maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Iodine’s crucial role in thyroid function holds the key to understanding this phenomenon. Iodine, you see, is a fundamental element required for the production of thyroid hormones. These hormones – thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) – govern a wide range of bodily functions, most notably our metabolism.
Metabolism is the process by which our body converts what we eat and drink into energy. In this intricate process, the calories in food and beverages are combined with oxygen to release the energy our body needs to function. Essentially, it’s our body’s way of burning the fuel it receives.
Thyroid hormones act as metabolic regulators. They decide how fast or slow our body should burn calories. They control the speed at which our cells work, also known as our metabolic rate. An optimal metabolic rate ensures that the calories we consume are efficiently used for energy, with any excess being discarded rather than stored.
When there’s an iodine deficiency, thyroid hormone production is hampered. The balance tips, leading to a condition called hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism essentially slows down your metabolism. The rate at which your body uses fats and carbohydrates decreases, and the way your body manages its energy resources changes.
This slow metabolism means that your body is burning fewer calories for energy than it should. The surplus calories, which your body can’t burn off as efficiently as it used to, get stored as fat, resulting in weight gain.
The baffling part for many women is that they haven’t changed their diet or lifestyle. They’re consuming the same amount of calories and maintaining the same level of physical activity, yet they’re gaining weight. The scale doesn’t lie, but it also doesn’t tell the full story. Behind the scenes, the real culprit is often a slowed metabolism due to iodine deficiency. (2)
