Understanding leptin and rT3 can help you gain a broader picture of the many factors involved in hypothyroidism.
Leptin is secreted by fat cells, and levels of leptin normally increase with the accumulation of fat.
Even with a moderate caloric intake, this is believed to increase the risk of weight gain or obesity.
Verywell / Laura Porter
There is not currently a medication that specifically treats leptin resistance.
The thyroid gland produces more T4 than T3, but T4 is then activated to T3 in the tissues.
The balance of T3 and rT3 is based on your body’s energy needs.
RT3 is produced in times of starvation to reduce metabolism and preserve the body’s energy stores.
RT3 can also be produced in times of stress or as a response to chronic dieting.
With less-than-optimal T4, hypothyroidism is usually characterized by low T3 and low rT3.
Yet, sometimes, unexpectedly high rT3 can develop if you are hypothyroid.
This can cause weight gain, and it may also be causedbyweight gain.
Nevertheless, it is high rT3 levels that seem to be problematic in thyroid disease.
Treatment for hypothyroidism can include T4 replacement or T4/T3 combinations.
Another issue is that the correlation between treatment and normalization of rT3 level is weak.
T4 and T3 levels are traditionally accepted as the most reliable indicators of thyroid disease.
The value of blood measurements of these hormones also remains unclear.
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