Many of us can tell when we’ve put on a few pounds or lost a few pounds, but health experts say sudden weight change may have little to do with your diet and a lot to do with your thyroid.

Jacob Goldberger, a surgeon on the medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System, says if your thyroid isn’t functioning properly it could take a toll on your body. “Typically if your hormone is down, you have less energy, you’re sluggish, and you don’t have the normal activity tolerance.”

If the thyroid isn’t functioning properly, a person could be diagnosed with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.

“Hypothyroidism is where you don’t have enough thyroid circulating in your blood. You’ll feel tired. You’ll feel uncomfortable; you’ll feel you lose normal function. You’re sluggish,” said Dr. Goldberger.

Patients with hypothyroidism often gain weight. But patients with hyperthyroidism, where they have an excessive amount of thyroid production, have just the opposite problem. “These people are underweight. They’re very trembly, shaky, and they have trouble sleeping. They also have actual heat intolerance,” said Dr. Goldberger.

While it’s not as common as hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism is caused by a disease that destroys the thyroid. “It’s an autoimmune process. The body attacks the cells of the thyroid. The thyroid stops functioning. The thyroid becomes enlarged,” said Dr. Goldberger.

Both conditions develop over time and can happen at any age. If a person has hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism it’s often treated with medication or even surgery.

“The thyroid itself is a very important organ. Those organs and that particular hormone is critical for your ability to function,” said Dr. Goldberger. He says making sure patients receive the correct amount of medication to balance the thyroid hormone is important to maintaining weight and energy.


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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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