High volume distance running causes reduced testosterone / thyroid levels for a lot of people. It's not like these people have naturally screwed up hormones, and then they decided to also run a lot. Look at Hall, he said he battled low T for years, but then he stopped running and started lifting and his T levels are good now.
I totally believe this is legit. When i read the RW article it was like someone finally validated what i experienced in my early 30s (though not as bad) and was subsequently diagnosed with this.
For me, i know it was genetic. But the number of runners with it makes me wonder if the intensity of the training screws up the immune system.
This.
I have also wondered if the crazy training and mileage decimates the thyroid.
Low body weight too. That's what the medicine is for, to make controlled anorexia possible.
Does the body regulate T3 up/down? I believe the answer is yes.
Under what circumstances does T3 get regulated up or down? How frequently does this happen? By how much can it be moved? Does T3 level vary according to circadian rhythm or physical and emotional stress? What is the possible range for TSH throughout a normal day and before, during, and after high stress workouts?
I don’t know the answers but don’t believe there is much research done in this area. If the then answer is yes to the above then I could certainly see how months of very hard and long training could result in pituitary fatigue or depletion, lower TSH, and lower T4/T3. If this is so then possibly the majority of the undiagnosed hypothyroids walking around are runners.
I totally believe this is legit. When i read the RW article it was like someone finally validated what i experienced in my early 30s (though not as bad) and was subsequently diagnosed with this.
For me, i know it was genetic. But the number of runners with it makes me wonder if the intensity of the training screws up the immune system.
This.
I have also wondered if the crazy training and mileage decimates the thyroid.
Herman Pontzer (an evolutionary anthropologist) recently wrote a book called “Burn” that explains this. Basically, as you burn more ‘active’ calories, your body decreases activity in other systems to save energy, starting with the endocrine / hormonal and immune systems. So elite athletes, especially those with overtraining syndrome, end up with amenorrhea in women (losing their periods), low testosterone in men, osteopenia and hypothyroidism. Anyone training for a marathon also knows that the immune system gets weaker in peak training. We all get more susceptible to viruses when we get to the taper.
Your body tries to save calories/energy when you’re pushing your physical activity to the limits.
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I will never buy her trash book but let me get this straight. The woman who was outraged about super shoes and thyroid meds wins the Boston Marathon on thyroid meds and wearing super shoes?
Makes sense.
She was outraged that Ritz was involved with Salazar and spoke out at the 2018 Boston presser about it and parted ways with Hansons over it. Now she is attached at the hip with Kara who was equally as involved with Salazar. Makes sense.
Why she would think this is good for her brand to admit is a bit head scratching.
But then again she is good at running, not much for brains.
Does she just state that she had a generic "thyroid issue" without further details? Seems odd to vaguely just throw the thyroid out there but not go into details about whether it's primary, autoimmune, etc.
Once it's diagnosed, it's treated the same way so there is no need for further testing. The assumption is that it's autoimmune since that is the most common cause. You have to push to get further testing.
I will never buy her trash book but let me get this straight. The woman who was outraged about super shoes and thyroid meds wins the Boston Marathon on thyroid meds and wearing super shoes?
Makes sense.
She was outraged that Ritz was involved with Salazar and spoke out at the 2018 Boston presser about it and parted ways with Hansons over it. Now she is attached at the hip with Kara who was equally as involved with Salazar. Makes sense.
Like i posted on another thread, what should she have done with the urgent care center told her if she didn't supplements she would end up in a coma? say "no, i don't believe in this test?"
If 5% of the population has diagnosed hypothyroidism, then 7 professional runners listed would constitute 5% of professional runners IF there were only 140 professional runners, but there are many more than this.
So although i stated earlier that it makes me wonder if there was something about distance running that increased the likelihood of hypothyroidism, I take that back. It's the "plane crash" mentality. It looks like a lot of people die in plane crashes when in reality, it's just because we hear about them.
Pro athletes are way more likely to get tested because the first symptom is that you can't hold a pace that should not be hard. A pro runner is going to first make sure it's not health related before messing with their training.
If 5% of the population has diagnosed hypothyroidism, then 7 professional runners listed would constitute 5% of professional runners IF there were only 140 professional runners, but there are many more than this.
So although i stated earlier that it makes me wonder if there was something about distance running that increased the likelihood of hypothyroidism, I take that back. It's the "plane crash" mentality. It looks like a lot of people die in plane crashes when in reality, it's just because we hear about them.
Pro athletes are way more likely to get tested because the first symptom is that you can't hold a pace that should not be hard. A pro runner is going to first make sure it's not health related before messing with their training.
You are looking like an apologist for doctor-assisted anorexia. Anyone can do it if they wanted to, not 7 out of 140. Back in the day thyroid issues were often blamed for obesity, why? Because thyroid treatment, real or fake, was a marketed as weight loss tool. ....Apply on the other end of the spectrum, it's the same thing.....metabolic energy maintenance where one would normally face self-inflicted depletion syndromes.
I hear you on the "i'm fat because of my thyorid issue". 25 years ago, when i felt just like she described in the article, i asked the doctor for a test because all of the women in my family have it but i decided that since i was a runner and healthy, i was immune. the doc said, "i will test you but you don't look like it". not only was my TSH high, my lipids were high, and i was anemic. What pissed me off was going to websites to get more information on how my running would be affected by both the disease and the treatment and getting bombarded with weight loss ads.
I don't believe for one second that Desi orchestrated any of this. I blame salazar for the negative view of thyroid meds. It makes people like you think that everyone is trying to use them as an edge but guess what, i never PRd again after starting thyroid meds. but, my cholesterol went down and i could walk upstairs without having to take a break., my raynauds subsided, and i didn't need thermal underwear when it was below 70 degrees. I'll take that any day.
I have a problem with TUEs in general. If any athlete develops a condition that threatens her wellbeing, then they should absolutely seek treatment. They should also not be competing for a long period of time after receiving treatment that has the potential to make them faster.
I have a huge issue with TUEs that come as a result of over-training. She took thyroid medication because she over-trained. Why not take EPO because you can't hit your goal pace on intervals. Every human has limits, she found hers and then decided to take a medication that allowed her to surpass it. To me, this is no different than doping.
This is a shame because I really liked Des. Yet another runner I held up shown to be on something I would never consider taking myself.
I have a huge issue with TUEs that come as a result of over-training. She took thyroid medication because she over-trained.
It has never been proven that overtraining causes hypothyroidism. If this were the case, there would be way more endurance athletes that have it since very few ever not screw up and overtrain. If 5% of the population has this condition, then it makes sense that 5% of pro runners have it.