The miscellaneous of weight loss.

[AthalaRanger]

While weight loss is directly related to TDEE and calorie consumption (basically; 'calories in vs calories out') there are a lot of different factors that play a role here.

For example, the role of leptin and his relation with insulin, the role of cortisol, different vitamins and nutrients (E.g; Vitamin D, calcium), the metabolism of fat on the liver, thyroid, etc.

Another interesting thing is how the food we eat affects those different factors. For example, how Cruciferous and goitrogenic vegetables affect thyroid function. How fructose (which can only be used by the liver) and dehydration affect the liver capacity to metabolize fat.

(As a note, I'm pretty illiterate on all this, so if I've said something that is wrong, please correct me!)

I would like to read about those, so if you know any article / study, I would greatly appreciate if you link me to it.

If I find a well-written article or an interesting study, I will post it here.

 

[AthalaRanger]

About Thyroid (Goitrogens and Iodine).

Okay, I managed to read a bit about Cruciferous vegetables, Goitrogens, and Iodine.

Goitrogens, which are abundant on cruciferous vegetables, are substances that affect the thyroid function to synthesize Iodine. You can partially reduce the amount of those sustances by cooking the vegetables!

Goitrogens are naturally-occuring substances found in various foods, and they have the ability to cause a goiter -- an enlargement of the thyroid gland.
In addition to promoting goiter formation, goitrogenic foods can act like antithyroid drugs, slowing down the thyroid, and ultimately causing hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid.

Goitrogens are able to disrupt normal thyroid function by inhibiting the body’s ability to use iodine, block the process by which iodine becomes the thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), inhibit the actual secretion of thyroid hormone, and disrupt the peripheral conversion of T4 to T3.

http://thyroid.about.com/od/symptomsrisks/a/All-About-Goitrogens-thyroid.htm

Another thing to consider is Iodine and Iodine deficiency.

Iodine is an essential element that enables the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones.

Three iodine molecules are added to make T3 (triiodothyronine), and four for T4 (thyroxine) -- the two key hormones produced by the thyroid gland -- so iodine is essential to the production of these two hormones of the master gland of metabolism.

One needs the proper amount of iodine for optimal thyroid function.

A severe iodine deficiency can cause hypothyroidism, and even developmental brain disorders and severe goiter. Less severe iodine deficiency is linked to hypothyroidism, thyroid enlargement (goiter) and hyperthyroidism. At the other end of the spectrum, excessive iodine intake -- both severe and moderate -- is also associated with hypothyroidism and goiter.

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/vitaminsupplement/a/iodine.htm

Iodine's main role in animal biology is as constituents of the thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These are made from addition condensation products of the amino acid tyrosine, and are stored prior to release in an iodine-containing protein called thyroglobulin. T4 and T3 contain four and three atoms of iodine per molecule, respectively. The thyroid gland actively absorbs iodine from the blood to make and release these hormones into the blood, actions which are regulated by a second hormone TSH from the pituitary.
Thyroid hormones play a basic role in biology, acting on gene transcription to regulate the basal metabolic rate. The total deficiency of thyroid hormones can reduce basal metabolic rate up to 50%, while in excessive production of thyroid hormones the basal metabolic rate can be increased by 100%.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iodine_in_biology

About Goiter - Thyroid.org

About Hypothyroidism - Thyroid.org

A bit more of information about Iodine;

*Note; I removed some parts of the following text for the sake of making this post shorter*

Iodine is an element that is needed for the production of thyroid hormone. The body does not make iodine, so it is an essential part of your diet. Iodine is found in various foods. If you do not have enough iodine in your body, you cannot make enough thyroid hormone. Thus, iodine deficiency can lead to enlargement of the thyroid (goiter – see above), hypothyroidism (see above) and to mental retardation in infants and children whose mothers were iodine deficient during pregnancy.

What are the sources of iodine?

Iodine is present naturally in soil and seawater. The availability of iodine in foods differs in various regions of the world. Individuals in the United States can maintain adequate iodine in their diet by using iodized table salt (unless they have to restrict the amount of salt in their diet), by eating foods high in iodine, particularly dairy products, seafood, meat, some breads, and eggs, and by taking a multivitamin containing iodine (see below). However, the amount of iodine in foods is not listed on food packaging in the U.S., and it can be difficult to identify sources of iodine in foods.

United States Recommendations – The Institute of Medicine has set the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for iodine in adult men and women at 150 ?g per day. Individuals who add tablet salt to their food regularly should use iodized salt. One teaspoon of iodized salt contains approximately 400 ?g iodine. Most iodine-containing multivitamins have at least 150 ?g iodine, but only about half of the types of multivitamins in the U.S. contain iodine.

The RDA is 220 ?g iodine per day for pregnant women and 290 ?g iodine per day for breastfeeding women. Because the effects of iodine deficiency are most severe in pregnant women and their babies, the American Thyroid Association has recommended that all pregnant and breastfeeding women in the U.S. and Canada take a prenatal multivitamin containing 150 ?g iodine per day.

*Note; Remember, taking too much can also cause problems*

http://www.thyroid.org/iodine-deficiency/

I hope the post doesn't come as fear-mongering! I'm just trying to gather useful information, which we all can benefit from.

 

[jk01854]

Thank you for the information, AthalaRanger. A good research paper can be produced with the information you gathered.