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When
compared to thyroxine (T4) the thyroid hormone known as triiodothyronine (T3)
is much more potent.
T3 helps ‘rev’ up your body. It increases the
rate at which you burn calories for energy.
Under
normal conditions T4 converts to both T3 and ‘reverse T3’ which is the inactive
form of T3. The body maintains a healthy T3 to reverse T3 ratio to
control an optimal metabolic rate. Reverse T3 is quickly eliminated if it is
not required to slow metabolism.
What
happens when too much T4 is shunted towards production of reverse T3 and this
thyroid hormone pools in the body?
Excessive
amounts of reverse T3 will block the effects of active T3. Ongoing excess
production of reverse T3 leads to a low thyroid disorder called ‘reverse T3
dominance’. Reverse T3 dominance is associated with many of the typical
symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Testing for reverse T3
Only a specific blood test for reverse T3 (rT3) will identify high
levels of this inactive form of T3. Most importantly, an assessment of reverse
T3 takes on far greater meaning when the total amount of reverse T3 is compared
to the total amount of ‘free T3’.
A drop in free T3 can be accompanied by an increase in reverse T3.
There
is a simple equation to work out your reverse T3/T3 ratio. You will need your
blood test results for both free T3 and reverse T3 to do this.
How to calculate your reverse T3/T3 ratio
To
work out your reverse T3/T3 ratio divide the total free T3 by the total reverse
T3 and multiply this by 100.
As of July 2016, Australian pathology labs are using
a reference range of 1.200 – 2.200.
If
your reverse T3/T3 ratio is at the lower end, or below this range it indicates
you have a thyroid hormone imbalance.
Your
thyroid blood results can be a little confusing. Here is a real example to help
explain how you can calculate your own reverse T3/T3 ratio.
The
free T3 test result is 4.3 pmol/L and reverse T3 is 704 pmol/L. To work out the
reverse T3 ratio divide 4.3 by 704 then multiply this by 100. The result is
0.610 which is well below the healthy range, and indicates this individual is
dealing with reverse T3 dominance.
Is single T3 thyroid medication ideal?
There
is no one size fits all approach to reducing high reverse T3 levels. A
combination of T4/T3, or a single T3 medication may be appropriate for you. It
is important to work with a healthcare practitioner who understands your
thyroid issues.
Care
needs to be taken with taking too much T4 as this provides the body with a
greater amount of T4 with the potential to create even more reverse T3. This
can perpetuate the cycle of reverse T3 production.
Thyroid
medications may take a little while to work as it takes time for the excess
reverse T3 to clear from the body. To properly treat reverse T3 dominance it is
very important to look at the individual factors that are causing this thyroid
disorder.
Read
the following related articles:
Author Bio:
Louise O’ Connor,
the author of The Natural Thyroid Diet –The 4-Week Plan to Living Well, Living Vibrantly, who
is a specialist in Thyroid Health. She is a highly regarded Australian
Naturopath and founder of Wellnesswork.
The Natural Thyroid
Diet goes beyond diet advice and offers practical and effective ways to achieve
healthy thyroid levels within just a short period of time. For more details,
Click on
The-Natural-Thyroid-Diet.com
