8 Medical Tests to Determine Your Weight-Loss Success
Categories: Advice, Health, Healthy Eating, Hormone Diet
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Natasha Turner, N.D. is a Toronto-based naturopathic doctor. She is the founder of the Clear Medicine wellness boutique and author of the bestselling book The Hormone Diet. Each week in her column for That's Fit.ca, Dr. Turner will illustrate a health issue she commonly sees in her practice and advise readers on how to remedy the problem as well as improve their overall health. This week she tackles the connection between hormonal balance and weight loss.
There is a new formula for fat loss and it's no longer based solely upon calories:
Hormonal Balance + (Calories In - Calories Out) = Lasting Fat Loss
You can ensure the elements of this equation are in check by requesting the basic blood tests I have outlined below from your MD or ND. This little bit of extra effort just might make all your hard work at the gym and in the kitchen pay off this summer.
1. Thyroid Hormone Assessments
Blood test(s) you want to request: TSH, Free T3 and Free T4
Why: These four tests are required to accurately assess the function of the thyroid gland, our master gland of metabolism. An optimal TSH should be less than 2.0, not the currently accepted 4.7 reported by most labs. T3 and T4 should be in the middle of your lab's reference range. It's almost impossible to have a low body fat with an improperly diagnosed or managed case of hypothyroidism. In fact, even a modest increase of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) within the reference range may be associated with weight gain according to a study reported in Archives of Internal Medicine (March 2008).
2. Vitamin D Status
Blood test(s) you want to request: 25-OH Vitamin D3 (25-hydroxycholecalciferol)
Why: Vitamin D levels in the body at the start of a diet predict weight-loss success according to research released at the Endocrine Society's 91st Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C (June 12, 2009). For every increase of 1 ng/mL in level of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol-the precursor form of vitamin D and a commonly used indicator of vitamin D status-subjects ended up losing almost a half pound more on their diet. Higher vitamin D levels also predicted greater loss of abdominal fat. An optimal value for vitamin D in the blood is 125 or greater.
3. Cortisol
Blood test(s) you want to request: Cortisol (best tested in the blood before 9 am)
Why: High levels (more than 15 mcg/dl) of cortisol are detrimental for almost every tissue and organ in the body. It causes destruction of muscle, increases calcium loss from the bone, accelerates the process of aging and is linked to memory loss, anxiety, depression and low libido along with an increase in the deposition of fat around the abdomen.
4. Blood test(s) you want to request: Fasting glucose and insulin
Why: Although insulin plays an essential role in healthy body function, an excess of this hormone will absolutely make you fat. Not only does too much insulin encourage your body to store unused glucose as fat but it also blocks the use of stored fat as an energy source. For these reasons, an abnormally high insulin level makes losing fat, especially around the abdomen, next to impossible. The first sign of insulin resistance is elevated insulin after a meal followed by high fasting insulin. Insulin tends to be abnormal long before blood sugars start to rise typical of the diabetic state. Insulin resistance may be apparent with fasting glucose values greater than 5.0 mmol/L and fasting insulin greater than 36 pmol/L.
5. Testosterone Status
Blood test(s) you want to request: free and total testosterone
Why: Maintaining testosterone levels is crucial to build muscle and lose fat in both men and women. Many men with insulin resistance, obesity or sleep apnea have low levels of testosterone, which is known to increase the risk of heart disease. This also influences erectile function, libido, sense of well-being, mood and motivation. In women, low testosterone is damaging to bone density, a healthy libido and aspects of memory (especially task-oriented memory). If testosterone is too high (often associated with PCOS or insulin resistance), hair loss, acne, increased risk of breast cancer or infertility may occur.
6. Liver Function Assessments
Blood test(s) you want to request: Liver enzymes - AST, ALT and GGT
Why: Your liver is the primary organ responsible for detoxification, fat burning, fat excretion (via the digestive tract) and ridding your body of hormonal waste. The liver is a major player in achieving hormonal balance because it controls the production of certain hormones, such as T3 thyroid hormone, and the breakdown of others, like cortisol.
Fat burning in the liver occurs through a complex metabolic pathway. A 2006 study published in the American Journal of Physiology - Gastroenterology and Liver Physiology reported that toxins including drugs and alcohol, can cause abnormalities in our fat-burning pathways in our liver. The causes less fat burning, and leads to increased storage of fat in the body and possibly our liver cells too. Over time, excess fat stored in our liver cells can be harmful to liver structure and impair its function. Optimal values for these tests are within the labs reference range.
7. Inflammatory Assessments
Blood test(s) you want to request: Hs-CRP and Fasting Homocysteine
Why: Homocysteine is a protein which if elevated in the blood (greater than 7), is a proven independent risk factor for heart disease, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease and stroke. Homocysteine has been found to increase with insulin resistance.
Hs-CRP is a marker of inflammation and a risk factor for arterial disease. Levels tend to increase as body fat increases and with insulin resistance. An optimal value is less than 0.8.
8. Growth Hormone Levels
Blood test(s) you want to request: Growth hormone marker - IGF-1
Why: Growth hormone is essential for maintaining healthy bones, skin and hair as well as a strong, lean muscle mass. It tends to naturally decrease as we age; however, conditions like sleep deprivation, diabetes, hypothyroidism or some cases of osteoporosis, anorexia and insulin resistance can cause levels to decline more rapidly.
Dr. Natasha Turner ND is the Founder and Clinical Director of Clear Medicine, a wellness boutique that specializes in integrated health care. She welcomes your questions or comments. Although you may not receive a response, your submission will certainly be read and may be selected as a topic for a future column.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
MARIANNE 7-05-2009 @ 11:02AM
I am 66 years of age (5'3 186 lbs) and am restricted to little exercise due to hip replacement (told not to over do it as it could break). I am using 1500 m Calcium with 600 D, 600 Vit D tablet, Multi Vitamin, Ezetrol 10mg and Synthroid 0.07mg. I notice that with all the Vitamin D I take I still keep gaining-not rapidly but at a steady pace. When my Doctor has me take new medication he has blood tests taken to see how they react to my liver, as many such as Lipitor makes it do strange things. What hormone can I take that will assist in weight loss without affecting my liver?
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Mary 7-05-2009 @ 10:35PM
re: ThermothinPlus with Acai and Colon Cleanse
What is your medical opinion of this method? It seems to 'pop up' everywhere on the internet.
I
Thank you!
Mary R.O.
Reply