Thyroid Hormones May Increase Risk of Cognitive Disorders in Older Adults

[HarryCat2]

Interesting article but they don't specify what they use as the normal range for TSH in this summary of the paper. Maybe the full text would have that information.

Thyroid Hormones May Increase Risk of Cognitive Disorders in Older Adults
Patients age 65 and older who receive thyroid hormone therapy and experience low thyrotropin(TSH) are at increased risk for dementia and other cognitive problems, according to new research published October 23 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

 

[FunkOdyssey]

Another piece of evidence against overenthusiastic thyroid "optimization".

Here are some additional studies that outline a "live fast, die fast" relationship between thyroid hormone and longevity. Crank it up at your peril:

Thyroid status, disability and cognitive function, and survival in old age - PubMed

In the general population of the oldest old, elderly individuals with abnormally high levels of thyrotropin do not experience adverse effects and may have a prolonged life span. However, evidence for not treating elderly individuals can only come from a well-designed, randomized...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Familial longevity is associated with decreased thyroid function - PubMed

Our findings support the previous observation that low thyroid activity in humans constitutes a heritable phenotype that contributes to exceptional familial longevity observed in the Leiden Longevity Study.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Human longevity is characterised by high thyroid stimulating hormone secretion without altered energy metabolism - PMC

Few studies have included subjects with the propensity to reach old age in good health, with the aim to disentangle mechanisms contributing to staying healthier for longer. The hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid (HPT) axis maintains circulating levels ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Association of Thyroid Function With Life Expectancy With and Without Cardiovascular Disease: The Rotterdam Study - PMC

Are there differences in total life expectancy and life expectancy with and without cardiovascular disease within the reference range of thyroid function? This population-based cohort study found significant differences in life expectancy within the ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Thyroid function and life expectancy with and without noncommunicable diseases: A population-based study - PMC

Variations in thyroid function within reference ranges are associated with increased risk of diseases and death. However, the impact of thyroid function on life expectancy (LE) with and without noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) remains unknown. We ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[MarkLA]

I just noticed that most Levothyroxine (including Synthroid and many generics) has pills that are colored. The ingredients used to color the pills are in the Aluminum Lake family.

It's probably not a lot of aluminum in each pill but with a daily dose for decades it has to add up. That aluminum could be a confounding factor in cognitive decline.

IMO - best to eliminate, not reduce aluminum from all sources. There are generics without colrs. Sometimes only in the 50mcg dose and sometimes in all doses. Read the package inserts!

 

[TLR]

This is not entirely in keeping with the thread topic, but I noticed something on my latest labs…..years ago I had a doc put me on compounded NDT….I had been running 200mg a week, and my TSH was 4.5 with free values still in normal range but on the low side….I dropped my dose years ago after switching docs and am taking 70-80 a week. During this time I quit taking the thyroid and didn’t notice any difference in how I felt….I just had a set of thyroid labs done just for shots and grins and my TSH is 1.3 with free levels right in the middle. I’ve always wondered if high doses of test cause the thyroid to have to work harder…..

 

[Seagal]

This is not entirely in keeping with the thread topic, but I noticed something on my latest labs…..years ago I had a doc put me on compounded NDT….I had been running 200mg a week, and my TSH was 4.5 with free values still in normal range but on the low side….I dropped my dose years ago after switching docs and am taking 70-80 a week. During this time I quit taking the thyroid and didn’t notice any difference in how I felt….I just had a set of thyroid labs done just for shots and grins and my TSH is 1.3 with free levels right in the middle. I’ve always wondered if high doses of test cause the thyroid to have to work harder…..

That seems to be the case with long heavy cycles. There was a lengthy discussion at another thread about the impact of TRT on thyroid, and the 'conclusion' was that the thyroid is not (negatively) impacted by it.

 

[Seagal]

Interesting article but they don't specify what they use as the normal range for TSH in this summary of the paper. Maybe the full text would have that information.

Thyroid Hormones May Increase Risk of Cognitive Disorders in Older Adults
Patients age 65 and older who receive thyroid hormone therapy and experience low thyrotropin(TSH) are at increased risk for dementia and other cognitive problems, according to new research published October 23 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

The following comment is interesting:

December 2, 2023
secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism
Fatih Tufan, assoc prof MD | istanbul aydin university florya medical park hospital department of geriatrics
I congratulate the authors for this clinically relevant and well-designed study.
I wonder if the study patients were evaluated in terms of a diagnosis of secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism, both of which can cause cognitive decline.

Endogenous and Exogenous Thyrotoxicosis and Risk of Incident Cognitive Disorders in Older Adults

This cohort study assesses whether endogenous and exogenous thyrotoxicosis is associated with higher risk of cognitive disorders in adults 65 years and older.

jamanetwork.com