weight loss and Your Health

25-year-old actress Mila Kunis, known for role as Jackie Burkhart on That ‘70s Show and the voice of Meg Griffin on Family Guy, knows a lot about acting but very little concerning certain medical conditions. The Ukrainian actress, after losing 20lbs on an already wiry frame, expressed to British Glamour magazine that losing weight isn’t as difficult as many believe it to be. ‘You just have to want to do it,’ the actress said.

While healthy eating and exercise are key factors to losing weight, it does not result in weightloss for all. Medical conditions such as Hypothyroidism and Cushing Syndrome make it difficult for some individuals to lose weight even after adopting a healthy lifestyle.

The body’s metabolism is regulated by thyroid hormones. In hypothyroidism, the production of thyroid hormone is reduced which in turn slows metabolism and energy consumption. A slowed metabolism inevitably leads to easy weight gain and extreme difficulty in losing weight.

Damage to the thyroid gland is the leading cause of hypothyroidism. The most common examples of thyroid gland damage are autoimmune or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Other causes of hypothyroidism include radiation treatments to the neck, viral thyroiditis, surgical removal of the thyroid gland and radioactive iodine use due to hyperthyroidism. The usage of certain medications can also lead to hypothyroidism.

Good news! Hypothyroidism is treated with synthetic thyroid hormone.

Cushing’s syndrome is another “weighty” hormonal disorder. Cushing’s syndrome, sometimes referred to as hypercortisolism, results from the body’s prolonged exposure to high levels of cortisol. Unlike hypothyroidism which generally affects women over 50, Cushing’s syndrome most often affects individuals between ages 20 and 50. Physical manifestations of Cushing’s include a rounded face and upper body obesity. Affected children are often obese with slowed growth rates.

Individuals who take glucocorticoids for inflammatory diseases (asthma, lupus, rheumatoid arthrits, etc) are at risk for developing Cushing’s syndrome. Glucocorticoids also pose risk for organ transplant patients since it is used to suppress the immune system after transplantation. Treatment of Cushing’s syndrome depends on the underlying reason for the body’s excess cortisol production.