A well-balanced diet is important for your body to function optimally. Excess caloric intake is associated with weight gain and an increased risk for certain diseases, such as diabetes, but it is not known to cause high thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH. Consult your physician to help determine the cause if you have high TSH. You can consult a dietitian if you believe that your diet is adversely affecting your health.
Thyroid Function
Your thyroid gland plays an important role in your metabolism. It manufactures and excretes key hormones that regulate the rate at which your body uses energy. It provides enough thyroid hormone to meet your physiological needs when it is functioning optimally. Having a high TSH may be a sign that your thyroid gland is under-functioning, but you need to be evaluated by an endocrinologist to know for sure. Your general practitioner can provide a referral.
TSH
Your thyroid is part of your endocrine system, which communicates with your brain regarding hormone levels. This helps keep hormone levels balanced. Your pituitary, a pea-sized gland located at the base of your brain, secretes TSH when it senses that thyroid hormone levels in your blood are low. TSH communicates to your thyroid to produce more thyroid hormone in order to bring blood levels back to normal. Eating excess calories does not affect this process.
Testing
Your doctor will need to administer a TSH test to confirm that your TSH levels are high. Normal levels range from 0.4 to 4 milli-international units per liter, according to National Institutes of Health online medical encyclopedia Medline Plus. Values range based on the lab conducting the test. Your doctor may prescribe thyroid hormone if your levels are low. This will help bring TSH back into a normal range. You can tell your doctor that you believe excess caloric intake may be affecting your thyroid, although it is not known to.
Considerations
Excess caloric intake is not a known cause of high TSH. However, consuming more calories than your body needs can adversely effect your health. Your body stores excess calories as triglycerides, a type of fat. This excess fat can accumulate in your arteries, causing narrowing or blockage. High triglyceride levels are associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Keep your triglyceride levels at less than 150 milligrams per deciliter.
Member Comments