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Obesity and Thyroid Function

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Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity

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Abstract

A reciprocal interaction between the hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid axis and the adipose tissue is required for the proper homeostasis of energy balance. In this chapter, the mechanisms by which the two systems regulate each other and the effects of thyroid dysfunctions on body weight will be discussed.

In both lean and obese subjects, thyroid hormone and TSH levels are strongly influenced by the individual nutritional status. Furthermore, obesity can be associated with variations of circulating thyroid hormone and TSH. Whether obesity is a risk factor for thyroid diseases (autoimmunity, nodularity, cancer) remains a matter of debated investigation. While the hormonal substitutive treatment is required when obesity is associated with subclinical or overt hypothyroidism, we do not recommend thyroid hormone treatment in case of the isolated hyper-thyrotropinemia often detected in obese patients. Historically, many attempts have been carried out to treat obese euthyroid subjects by administration of thyroid hormones, their analogues, or derivatives, with the aim of increasing energy expenditure and promoting weight loss, but at present such type of intervention is not advisable outside very well-controlled clinical trials.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Obesity Center at the Endocrinology Unit, University Hospital of Pisa, Via Paradisa 2, Pisa, 56100, Italy

    Giovanni Ceccarini, Alessio Basolo & Ferruccio Santini

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  1. Giovanni Ceccarini
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  2. Alessio Basolo
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  3. Ferruccio Santini
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Correspondence to Ferruccio Santini .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

    Andrea Lenzi

  2. Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, Unit of Endocrinology, Foro Italico University, Rome, Italy

    Silvia Migliaccio

  3. Department of Experimental Medicine, Section of Medical Pathophysiology, Endocrinology and Nutrition, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy

    Lorenzo Maria Donini

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Ceccarini, G., Basolo, A., Santini, F. (2015). Obesity and Thyroid Function. In: Lenzi, A., Migliaccio, S., Donini, L. (eds) Multidisciplinary Approach to Obesity. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09045-0_4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09045-0_4

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