Oprah Winfrey: Weight Gain and Thyroid
Oprah Winfrey seems unstoppable. But the talk show host revealed in the October O magazine that thyroid problems this spring took a toll on her body, mind and spirit.
“I was so exhausted, I was numb,” Winfrey, 53, wrote, saying she gained 20 pounds from hypo-thyroidism, a hormone deficiency that slows metabolism. That followed a case of hyperthyroidism, which speeds up metabolism (”Most people lose weight. I didn’t,” Winfrey joked).
L.A.-based endocrinologist Margaret England explains that, “About 10 percent of patients with hyperthyroidism end up in obesity clinics because they overeat,” adding that treatment includes synthetic hormones (about 10 percent of women older than 50 have thyroid failure).
Winfrey says a month at her Hawaiian home in July and a diet high in soy milk, fruit and flaxseed have her body back in balance. [source: Us Weekly]
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