Risk for Metabolic Syndrome Increases With High TSH Levels

I've told you before how useless the TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) test is to diagnose low thyroid states. That's because it's not a thyroid hormone. It's a pituitary hormone. But when it's elevated it's a pretty good indicator of low thyroid functioning. So, it's not a completely worthless test. In fact, according to new research, elevated TSH levels can indicate that you're at risk for other dangerous conditions.

Researchers conducted a study in China of 2,356 participants ranging in age from 40 to 77. They evaluated the subjects according to their TSH levels (high TSH was anything over 2.50 mU/L) and then measured a number of characteristics, including body mass index, total cholesterol levels, LDL (lousy) cholesterol levels, and fasting plasma glucose levels. These can point to other diseases, such as metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular issues. The researchers found that all of these measures were higher in the high-TSH group. They also found that metabolic syndrome was much more common among members of this group.

Females in particular were more likely to have elevated weight and triglyceride levels and lower levels of HDL (healthy) cholesterol. But all of the members of the high-TSH group were at risk. After adjusting for age and gender, the researchers determined that the high-TSH study participants were 1.2 times more likely to develop metabolic syndrome than those in the low/normal-TSH group.

Continued Below...

So does having an elevated TSH level cause metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease? Not exactly. High TSH levels indicate low thyroid function. And low thyroid function causes these diseases. That's why it's so critical to know if your thyroid is functioning optimally or not. And that's why measuring your metabolic rate with Bio-Energy Testing® is so important. Why?

As I've reported to you in the past, your metabolic rate is the only accurate way of knowing whether or not your thyroid is functioning well. Doctors are taught that thyroid blood tests (TSH, T4, T3, etc) are accurate predictors of metabolic rate. But that's simply not true. There isn't one study that verifies this assumption. On the other hand, I've been measuring the metabolic rates of literally thousands of patients for the last 15 years. And I can definitely say that even in cases where the metabolic rate is very substantially decreased, 90% of the time the blood tests are all normal.

So, forget TSH. Unless it's high, it's no help at all. Instead, find a doctor who routinely measures metabolic rate. It's simple. If your metabolic rate is normal, your thyroid is functioning perfectly. If it's low, you need some help. You can find doctors who have Bio-Energy testing at http://www.antiagingmedicine.com/bio-energy-testing-centers.

Yours for better health,

 

 

 

Frank Shallenberger, MD

Source:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27760888.