Differing thyrotropin responses to increased serum triiodothyronine concentrations produced by overfeeding and by triiodothyronine administration

The biology of human overfeeding: A systematic review

This systematic review has examined more than 300 original papers dealing with the biology of overfeeding. Studies have varied from 1 day to 6 months. Overfeeding produced weight gain in adolescents, adult men and women and in older men. In longer term studies, there was a clear and highly significant relationship between energy ingested and weight gain and fat storage with limited individual differences. There is some evidence for a contribution of a genetic component to this response variability. The response to overfeeding was affected by the baseline state of the groups being compared: those with insulin resistance versus insulin sensitivity; those prone to obesity versus those resistant to obesity; and those with metabolically abnormal obesity versus those with metabolically normal obesity. Dietary components, such as total fat, polyunsaturated fat and carbohydrate influenced the patterns of adipose tissue distribution as did the history of low or normal birth weight. Overfeeding affected the endocrine system with increased circulating concentrations of insulin and triiodothyronine frequently present. Growth hormone, in contrast, was rapidly suppressed. Changes in plasma lipids were influenced by diet, exercise and the magnitude of weight gain. Adipose tissue and skeletal muscle morphology and metabolism are substantially altered by chronic overfeeding.

Effects of Short-Term Fasting and Different Overfeeding Diets on Thyroid Hormones in Healthy Humans

Background: A greater decrease in 24-hour energy expenditure (EE) during fasting and a smaller increase in 24-hour EE during low-protein overfeeding (metabolic "thrifty" phenotype) predict weight gain. As thyroid hormones (TH) are implicated in energy intake and metabolism, we assessed whether: (i) TH concentrations are altered by 24-hour fasting or overfeeding diets with varying protein content and (ii) diet-related changes in TH correlate with concomitant changes in EE. Methods: Fifty-eight euthyroid healthy subjects with normal glucose regulation underwent 24-hour dietary interventions including fasting, eucaloric feeding, and five overfeeding diets in a crossover design within a whole-room indirect calorimeter to measure the 24-hour EE. Overfeeding diets (200% of energy requirements) included three diets with 20% protein, one diet with 3% protein (low-protein overfeeding diet [LPF]: 46% fat), and one diet with 30% protein (high-protein overfeeding diet [HPF]: 44% fat, n = 51). Plasma free thyroxine (fT4), free triiodothyronine (fT3), and fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) concentrations were measured after overnight fast the morning of and after each diet. Results: On average, fT4 increased by 8% (+0.10 ng/dL, 95% confidence interval [CI 0.07-0.13], p < 0.0001) and fT3 decreased by 6% (-0.17 pg/mL [CI -0.27 to -0.07], p = 0.001) after 24-hour fasting, whereas both fT4 and fT3 decreased by 5% (-0.07 ng/dL [CI -0.11 to -0.04], p < 0.0001) and 4% (-0.14 pg/mL [CI -0.24 to -0.04], p = 0.008) following HPF, respectively. Greater decreases in fT3 after HPF are associated with larger decreases in FGF21 (r = 0.40, p = 0.005). Following LPF, the mean fT3 increased by 6% (+0.14 pg/mL [CI 0.05-0.2], p = 0.003) with no change in fT4 (p = 0.7). No changes in TH were observed after normal-protein overfeeding diets (all p > 0.1). No associations were observed between TH concentrations and diet-related changes in 24-hour EE during any diet (all p > 0.07). Conclusions: Acute (200%) short-term (24 hours) changes in food intake induce small changes in TH concentrations only after diets with low (0% fasting and 3% protein overfeeding) or high (30% protein overfeeding) protein content. The fT3-FGF21 association after high-protein overfeeding suggests a role for TH in inhibiting FGF21 secretion by the liver during protein excess. These results indicate that TH are involved in protein metabolism; however, they do not mediate the short-term EE response to diets that characterize the metabolic phenotypes and determine the individual susceptibility to weight gain.

Influence of a single meal on fractional disappearance and catabolic rates of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine and thyroxine over 24 hours

The influence of a single meal on the rates of catabolism of 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) was investigated in young pigs. Plasma hormone concentrations, fractional disappearance rates (K), distribution volumes and catabolic rates were estimated during three periods after a meal. For T3, plasma concentration and K were greatest immediately after the meal and decreased progressively. Catabolic rate decreased from 0.45 nmol.hr-1.kg-1 immediately after the meal to 0.28 nmol.hr-1.kg-1 after 24 hr. In a separate investigation, a meal was found to cause an increase in plasma [125I] T4, indicating a shift in the distribution of the hormone pool. Catabolic rate of T4 appeared to be greatest in the period immediately after the meal and decreased to 0.43 nmol.hr-1.kg-1 nearly 24 hr later.

Meal-induced brown fat thermogenesis and thyroid hormone metabolism in rats

The relationship between the meal-induced increase in brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis, determined by the level of GDP binding to BAT mitochondria, and thyroid hormone metabolism have been examined. A single low-protein, high-carbohydrate meal resulted in a significant increase in the thermogenic activity of BAT. This effect on BAT thermogenesis was accompanied by significant increases in activity of thyroxine 5'-monodeiodinase in the BAT (P less than 0.05) and liver (P less than 0.02) but not with any significant changes in serum concentrations of the thyroid hormones. The stimulatory effects of the meal on BAT thermogenesis and hepatic thyroxine (T4) to triiodothyronine (T3) conversion persisted at least as late as 24 h after meal onset. Food deprivation for 40 h was associated with large reductions in serum concentrations of T3 (P less than 0.01) and T4 (P less than 0.001), but deprivation for 18 h had no significant effect on serum T3 and T4 concentrations. Our data indicate that the meal-induced increase in BAT thermogenesis can be independent from changes in serum concentrations of thyroid hormones and suggest that T3 produced in BAT in response to feeding may play a role in the thermic response of this tissue to meals.

Decreased free fraction of serum thyroid hormones during carbohydrate overfeeding

The impact of the increased T3 production induced by overfeeding is likely to be lessened if overfeeding also decreases the free fraction of thyroid hormones. Therefore, we examined the effect of 17 to 20 days of carbohydrate overfeeding of five men on total serum T4 and T3 concentrations, the free fraction of these hormones, and serum concentrations of thyroid-hormone binding proteins, TBG, TBPA, and albumin. Total serum T4 concentrations were unchanged by overfeeding and total serum T3 concentrations increased 42%. However, the free fraction of both T4 and T3 decreased during the overfeeding period, so that free T3 concentrations increased only 21% and free T4 concentrations decreased 17%. There was an increase in serum concentrations of both TBG (12%) and TBPA (20%), but no change in the concentration of albumin. We conclude that there is an increase in free T3 concentrations during overfeeding, in spite of a decrease in the free fraction of T3. However, the physiological effects of this increase in free T3 concentrations may be diminished by the decrease in free T4 concentrations.