Skip to main content
PMC home page
Archives of Disease in Childhood logoLink to Archives of Disease in Childhood
. 2002 Oct;87(4):320–323. doi: 10.1136/adc.87.4.320

Thyroid hormones before and after weight loss in obesity

T Reinehr 1, W Andler 1
PMCID: PMC1763034  PMID: 12244007

Abstract

Background: Little is known about changes in thyroid function in obese children. An influence of leptin on thyroid hormone synthesis has been proposed.

Aims: To examine thyroid function and leptin concentrations in obese children.

Methods: Triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and leptin were measured in 118 obese children (aged 4.5–16 years); thyroid function was also determined in 107 healthy children of normal weight. T3, T4, and TSH were analysed in 55 obese children who had achieved weight reduction and in 13 obese children who had not achieved weight reduction after one year based on normal energy diet.

Results: TSH, T3, and T4 were significantly higher in obese children compared to those of normal weight. Twelve per cent of the obese children had TSH, 15% had T3, and 11% had T4 concentrations above the twofold standard deviation of normal weight children. The degree of overweight correlated with T3, T4, and TSH. Thyroid hormones did not correlate significantly with leptin. A reduction in overweight showed a significant decrease in T3, T4, and leptin serum concentrations, but there was no significant change in TSH.

Conclusion: Peripheral thyroid hormones (T3, T4) and TSH are moderately increased in obese children; weight reduction leads to a long term decrease in the peripheral thyroid hormones but not in TSH. There is no necessity to treat the increased serum TSH.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (92.3 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Barrows K., Snook J. T. Effect of a high-protein, very-low-calorie diet on resting metabolism, thyroid hormones, and energy expenditure of obese middle-aged women. Am J Clin Nutr. 1987 Feb;45(2):391–398. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/45.2.391. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Blum W. F., Englaro P., Attanasio A. M., Kiess W., Rascher W. Human and clinical perspectives on leptin. Proc Nutr Soc. 1998 Aug;57(3):477–485. doi: 10.1079/pns19980068. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bray G. A., Fisher D. A., Chopra I. J. Relation of thyroid hormones to body-weight. Lancet. 1976 Jun 5;1(7971):1206–1208. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(76)92158-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Burman K. D., Latham K. R., Djuh Y. Y., Smallridge R. C., Tseng Y. C., Lukes Y. G., Maunder R., Wartofsky L. Solubilized nuclear thyroid hormone receptors in circulating human mononuclear cells. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1980 Jul;51(1):106–116. doi: 10.1210/jcem-51-1-106. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Cole T. J. The LMS method for constructing normalized growth standards. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1990 Jan;44(1):45–60. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ekins R. Measurement of free hormones in blood. Endocr Rev. 1990 Feb;11(1):5–46. doi: 10.1210/edrv-11-1-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Hill J. O., Sparling P. B., Shields T. W., Heller P. A. Effects of exercise and food restriction on body composition and metabolic rate in obese women. Am J Clin Nutr. 1987 Oct;46(4):622–630. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/46.4.622. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kautzky-Willer A., Ludwig C., Nowotny P., Roden A., Huemer C., Widhalm K., Vierhapper H., Waldhäusl W., Roden M. Elevation of plasma leptin concentrations in obese hyperinsulinaemic hypothyroidism before and after treatment. Eur J Clin Invest. 1999 May;29(5):395–403. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2362.1999.00470.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Kim M. S., Small C. J., Stanley S. A., Morgan D. G., Seal L. J., Kong W. M., Edwards C. M., Abusnana S., Sunter D., Ghatei M. A. The central melanocortin system affects the hypothalamo-pituitary thyroid axis and may mediate the effect of leptin. J Clin Invest. 2000 Apr;105(7):1005–1011. doi: 10.1172/JCI8857. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kiortsis D. N., Durack I., Turpin G. Effects of a low-calorie diet on resting metabolic rate and serum tri-iodothyronine levels in obese children. Eur J Pediatr. 1999 Jun;158(6):446–450. doi: 10.1007/s004310051117. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Koritschoner N. P., Alvarez-Dolado M., Kurz S. M., Heikenwälder M. F., Hacker C., Vogel F., Muñoz A., Zenke M. Thyroid hormone regulates the obesity gene tub. EMBO Rep. 2001 Jun;2(6):499–504. doi: 10.1093/embo-reports/kve107. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Légrádi G., Emerson C. H., Ahima R. S., Flier J. S., Lechan R. M. Leptin prevents fasting-induced suppression of prothyrotropin-releasing hormone messenger ribonucleic acid in neurons of the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus. Endocrinology. 1997 Jun;138(6):2569–2576. doi: 10.1210/endo.138.6.5209. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Mihály E., Fekete C., Tatro J. B., Liposits Z., Stopa E. G., Lechan R. M. Hypophysiotropic thyrotropin-releasing hormone-synthesizing neurons in the human hypothalamus are innervated by neuropeptide Y, agouti-related protein, and alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2000 Jul;85(7):2596–2603. doi: 10.1210/jcem.85.7.6662. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. O'Sullivan J. J., Derrick G., Darnell R. Prevalence of hypertension in children after early repair of coarctation of the aorta: a cohort study using casual and 24 hour blood pressure measurement. Heart. 2002 Aug;88(2):163–166. doi: 10.1136/heart.88.2.163. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Pinkney J. H., Goodrick S. J., Katz J., Johnson A. B., Lightman S. L., Coppack S. W., Mohamed-Ali V. Leptin and the pituitary-thyroid axis: a comparative study in lean, obese, hypothyroid and hyperthyroid subjects. Clin Endocrinol (Oxf) 1998 Nov;49(5):583–588. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2265.1998.00573.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Ravussin E., Burnand B., Schutz Y., Jéquier E. Twenty-four-hour energy expenditure and resting metabolic rate in obese, moderately obese, and control subjects. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982 Mar;35(3):566–573. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/35.3.566. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Rohner-Jeanrenaud F., Jeanrenaud B. The discovery of leptin and its impact in the understanding of obesity. Eur J Endocrinol. 1996 Dec;135(6):649–650. doi: 10.1530/eje.0.1350649. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Rolland-Cachera M. F., Cole T. J., Sempé M., Tichet J., Rossignol C., Charraud A. Body Mass Index variations: centiles from birth to 87 years. Eur J Clin Nutr. 1991 Jan;45(1):13–21. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Rosenbaum M., Hirsch J., Murphy E., Leibel R. L. Effects of changes in body weight on carbohydrate metabolism, catecholamine excretion, and thyroid function. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000 Jun;71(6):1421–1432. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/71.6.1421. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Spaulding S. W., Chopra I. J., Sherwin R. S., Lyall S. S. Effect of caloric restriction and dietary composition of serum T3 and reverse T3 in man. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1976 Jan;42(1):197–200. doi: 10.1210/jcem-42-1-197. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Srinivasan S. R., Myers L., Berenson G. S. Temporal association between obesity and hyperinsulinemia in children, adolescents, and young adults: the Bogalusa Heart Study. Metabolism. 1999 Jul;48(7):928–934. doi: 10.1016/s0026-0495(99)90231-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Stichel H., l'Allemand D., Grüters A. Thyroid function and obesity in children and adolescents. Horm Res. 2000;54(1):14–19. doi: 10.1159/000063431. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Tagliaferri M., Berselli M. E., Calò G., Minocci A., Savia G., Petroni M. L., Viberti G. C., Liuzzi A. Subclinical hypothyroidism in obese patients: relation to resting energy expenditure, serum leptin, body composition, and lipid profile. Obes Res. 2001 Mar;9(3):196–201. doi: 10.1038/oby.2001.21. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Toubro S., Sørensen T. I., Rønn B., Christensen N. J., Astrup A. Twenty-four-hour energy expenditure: the role of body composition, thyroid status, sympathetic activity, and family membership. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 1996 Jul;81(7):2670–2674. doi: 10.1210/jcem.81.7.8675595. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Winter W. E., Signorino M. R. Review: molecular thyroidology. Ann Clin Lab Sci. 2001 Jul;31(3):221–244. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Zwiauer K. F., Mueller T., Widhalm K. Resting metabolic rate in obese children before, during and after weight loss. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1992 Jan;16(1):11–16. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Archives of Disease in Childhood are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES