TSH and free triiodothyronine concentrations are associated with weight loss in a lifestyle intervention and weight regain afterwards in obese children

Objective The impact of thyroid hormones on weight loss in lifestyle interventions and on weight regain afterwards is unknown. Therefore, we studied the relationships between TSH, free triiodothyronine (fT 3 ), free thyroxine (fT 4 ), and weight status, as well as their changes during and after a lifestyle intervention in obese children. Materials and methods We evaluated the weight status as BMI–SDS in 477 obese children (mean age 10.6±2.7 years, 46% male, mean BMI 28.1±4.5 kg/m 2 ) participating in a 1-year lifestyle intervention in a 2-year longitudinal study. Changes in BMI–SDS at 1 and 2 years were correlated with TSH, fT 3 , and fT 4 concentrations at baseline and their changes during the intervention. Results A decrease in BMI–SDS during the intervention period (−0.32±0.38; P <0.001) was significantly positively associated with baseline TSH and fT 3 in multiple linear regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, pubertal stage, and baseline BMI–SDS. An increase in BMI–SDS after the end of the intervention (+0.05±0.36; P =0.011) was significantly related to the decreases in TSH and fT 3 during the intervention in multiple linear regression analyses adjusted for change in BMI–SDS during the intervention. In contrast to children with weight maintenance, children with weight regain after the end of the intervention demonstrated a decrease in their TSH levels (−0.1±1.6 vs +0.2±1.6 mU/l; P =0.03) and fT 3 (−0.2±1.1 vs +0.3±1.6 pg/ml; P <0.001) during the intervention. Conclusions The decreases in TSH and fT 3 concentrations during the lifestyle intervention were associated with weight regain after the intervention. Future studies should confirm that the decreases in TSH and fT 3 levels associated with weight loss are related to the change in metabolism such as resting energy expenditure.