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Article: Thyroid hormone - a little goes a long way.
- Article from:
- Medical Update
- Article date:
- September 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Benjamin Franklin Literary & Medical Society, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The thyroid gland, located at the base of the neck just below the "Adam's apple," has an effect on almost every cell in the body. It produces two hormones, now called T3 and T4, which regulate basal metabolism--the rate at which we convert food and oxygen to energy.
Women are much more susceptible to thyroid disease than men, most commonly in the form of too little rather than too much thyroid hormone production. As basal metabolism falls, the heart slows, one becomes more sensitive to cold, hair and nail growth slows down, and modest weight gain occurs (not more than 10 to 15 pounds, however). Iodine lack, once the most common cause of insufficient thyroid ...