In this episode, I discuss thyroid physiology with Dr. Anthony Bianco. Dr. Biano is an MD, Ph.D., and professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago. He recently released his book, Rethinking Hypothyroidism.
In this episode, we discuss: -
- Beyond the basic model of thyroid physiology
- The significance of T4 and T3
- Where does T3 come from
- The challenges with the current medical model of T4 only treatment
- Why allopathic medicine needs a change in perspective
- Important aspects of thyroid physiology every frustrated hypothyroid patient needs to understand
- So much more...
Antonio Bianco M.D. PhD. is a Professor of Medicine at the University of Chicago. His laboratory has helped establish the importance of local control of thyroid hormone activation and inactivation in development, metabolic control, and energy homeostasis. Dr. Bianco’s initial interest in this area formed while he was a fellow at Harvard Medical School. At that time, deiodinases were known to react homeostatically to changes in plasma thyroid hormone levels in order to preserve the intracellular levels of T3. As a fellow under J. Enrique Silva MD, Dr. Bianco built upon this concept making the seminal observation that thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue, a specialized organ that functions to warm up the body, is critically dependent on the local activation of T4 via the type 2 deiodinase (D2). Subsequently, they discovered the molecular link between deiodination and thermogenesis, specifically that the UCP-1 gene, key for brown adipose tissue thermogenesis, is transcriptionally up-regulated by T3. Upon returning to the University of Sao Paulo, Dr. Bianco and his students demonstrated that D2 activation leads to the saturation of the T3 receptors in brown adipose tissue, creating a state of localized thyrotoxicosis. This work laid the groundwork for the modern concept that deiodinases regulate thyroid hormone signaling on a tissue-specific basis without antecedent changes in plasma thyroid hormone levels.
To read an excerpt of the book: https://pressblog.uchicago.edu/2022/12/19/read-an-excerpt-from-rethinking-hypothyroidism-by-antonio-c-bianco-md.html
To get a copy of the book: https://www.amazon.com/Rethinking-Hypothyroidism-Treatment-Change-Patients/dp/0226823164/ref=sr_1_1?crid=118KFR0KXAO9D&keywords=rethinking+hypothyroidism+bianco&qid=1684442755&sprefix=rethinking+hypothyroidism%2Caps%2C131&sr=8-1
Twitter: @Bianco_Lab
Thyroid Answers Podcast