Thyroid Q & A with Jim

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QUESTION: I am a 34 year old female, type one diabetic. I am very fit, have good diet and currently preparing for a bodybuilding competition. I had some labs that came back with a very high reverse T3 of 746. My doctor says he thinks it is due to the stress on my body of training so hard. I am starting Cytomel to reverse the issue. Any idea why my T3 is so high?


ANSWER: Taking Cytomel (T3) will not correct the reverse T3 being too high. High reverse T3 is caused by poor conversion of the T4 produced in your thyroid gland to the active T3. There are numerous things that affect the enzyme that converts T4 to T3. You should read “Overcoming Thyroid Disorders” by David Brownstein. Stress, or high cortisol, is one of the chief causes of poor conversion, so your exercise program could be a source of the problem. Adaptogens may help with the stress response, but I would also look at all the possible causes of poor conversion to see what may apply to you personally.

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