Does Hashimoto’s Affect Lifespan?

Fitness, not Fatness: The Real Predictor of Longevity with Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism

For years we have heard that losing the extra weight is key to living a longer and healthier life; however research suggests that being fit is the real indicator for longevity, regardless of weight. If you have struggled with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism and been unable to reach a target weight, you need not worry as much to hit that elusive number. By simply maintaining good habits with regards to being physically active, even if it is just regularly walking, you can do wonders for your lifespan.

A recent team of researchers conducted a large-scale analysis of studies that included thousands of people for observations as long as 16 years.

The assessment scheme was simple – they divided study subjects into three groups: normal weight, overweight and obese, and then further assessed them as fit or unfit (based on endurance tests such as running on a treadmill).

The results revealed that performance in the endurance tests was related to mortality risk in future years, rather than weight. Unfit people had as much as twice the risk of dying as fit people, even if they were in a lower weight category. Not only that, but overweight and obese people that were in the fit category had the same mortality risks as fit people of normal weight.

The overall message – an unfit person that is skinny has twice the mortality risk as an obese person that is fit. For those of you that have exercised and still been unable to drop the extra pounds, this is excellent encouragement. With regular exercise, regardless of weight, one can expect to live a longer and healthier life.

A major talking point about the study however, was that most of the subjects were men – this reduces the ability to accurately apply the results to women. Further, it would be useful to mimic this type of study with regards to cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism or any other chronic health risks. The above study used length of life as their primary observation factor rather than occurrence of disease.

But what is “being fit”, when you have Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism?

An important thing to remember is that being fit does not mean you need to be running a marathon every other weekend or dominating the Crossfit gym. Quite the contrary: we at functional medicine recognize over exercising (which may vary between people) as actually taxing your health. Especially if you are managing Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism – excessive exercise can be too much and cause your symptoms to worsen. Exercising with a respect for your own body and identifying what’s appropriate for you is best for your health.

In the study, “fit” participants were evaluated for approximately eight to twelve minutes on the treadmill. This framework is in keeping with federal guidelines that state two and a half hours of exercise per week (which can be done in increments of 10 minutes at a time) is enough to be fit.

A good idea to reach this kind of weekly milestone is to park your car further from your destination in order to walk 10 minutes to get there, or to use a standing or stationary bike desk at work. Simply taking regular brisk walks will get the job done for your regular exercise.

Regular walks, swims and bike rides can be hugely beneficial for people managing Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.

The Many Benefits of Regular Exercise Beyond Simply Living Longer, especially when dealing with Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism

The obscurity of simply “living a longer life” as motivation to exercise often results in this being poor motivation, especially for younger people. A better perspective is to focus on the other benefits of regular exercise, including better management of Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.

Improvements in brain function can be a result of regular walking and other exercises. These habits can also ward off depression, boost self-esteem, and even curb cravings and addiction.

If you have any questions, or would like to see if Dr. Shook could accept you as a patient, just give us a call, or request an appointment through the form at the bottom of the page.

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