You follow a low-fat, high fiber diet. You get plenty of exercise and rest. Yet you feel sluggish, and your doctor tells you your cholesterol level is too high, and he wants you to take medication.
Before dosing your body with statins, a popular drug treatment for high cholesterol, ask your doctor to test for thyroid function. Like the test for cholesterol levels, this is a simple blood test.
The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland located just below the larynx and is responsible for the metabolic functions of most of the body’s cells.
An improperly functioning thyroid affects your cholesterol levels. If your thyroid is not producing enough of the hormone TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) you may have hypothyroidism. Because TSH directly affects your metabolism, and low levels result in a sluggish metabolism, your body may not be eliminating enough bad cholesterol. This results in a high cholesterol level.
Though this connection is nothing new to the medical community, doctors often treat high cholesterol without testing for thyroid function. That’s because conditions associated with a malfunctioning thyroid are often masked, appearing as part and parcel of other factors, such as menopause or normal aging.
If the test shows a low level of TSH, and you do have hypothyroidism, your treatment for that condition could result in a lower cholesterol level.
But it doesn’t happen quickly. If your thyroid is unable to do its job, you need medication, levothyroxin or synthroid, both synthetic hormone treatments. You need to take it every day, one hour before breakfast. It’s a strong possibility that you will need to take medication for the rest of your life.
The medication for hypothyroidism is cumulative, that is, it needs to build up in your system before it becomes fully effective. Your cholesterol levels, then, are not likely to drop soon after starting the medication. Furthermore, getting the correct dosage to stabilize the thyroid output may take a little trial and error. There are twelve different dosage levels, and finding the one that suits your medical needs may take a few months.
And that dosage will likely need adjustments over your lifetime. This means that your cholesterol levels can vary as you first try to find the correct dosage, and then again as your dosage needs adjustments.
So is that high cholesterol number a threat to your health if it’s caused by hypothyroidism?
Yes and no. Anytime your LDL, or bad cholesterol, level is over 100, you should be concerned. Though the medication for your thyroid will stabilize your metabolism, and so reduce your LDL, it doesn’t mean you are not at risk for heart disease as a result of high cholesterol.
But if your cholesterol level is higher than it should be, and goes down when the medication stabilizes your thyroid function, a healthy lifestyle will greatly minimize that risk. It isn’t that high cholesterol is a symptom of hypothyroidism. It’s that high cholesterol can be a result of the condition.
The connection between thyroid function and high cholesterol levels is ongoing. Should your cholesterol be a result of hypothyroidism, you will need to monitor both conditions on a continual basis.
The distinction must be made that thyroid medication does not treat high cholesterol. This is a hormone replacement therapy; it stimulates the thyroid, which in turn speeds up metabolism. If your cholesterol is high because the body is unable to process it due to a slowed metabolism, treating the thyroid may allow your body to properly process cholesterol.
If your cholesterol level does not drop, then it must be treated separately, possibly with statins.
If you suspect that your efforts at maintaining a healthy lifestyle are being thwarted by a malfunctioning thyroid, ask your doctor to test for thyroid malfunction. You may find that cholesterol level coming down after starting treatment for hypothyroidism. That means taking fewer drugs and feeling better.
