Why your muscles need a special switch to burn more energy
Thyroid hormone receptor α in skeletal muscle is essential for T3‐mediated increase in energy expenditure
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study found that a protein in your muscles called TRα1 acts like a key that lets thyroid hormone make your body burn more energy — but it doesn’t help raise your body temperature.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 513 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
This study found that a protein in your muscles called TRα1 acts like a key that lets thyroid hormone make your body burn more energy — but it doesn’t help raise your body temperature.
Systematic Reviews & Meta-Analyses
Max 100Randomized Controlled Trials
Max 90Cohort Studies
Max 72Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional Studies
Max 44Case Reports & Case Series
Max 30Expert Opinion & Narrative Reviews
Max 513 / 90
Evidence Score
Participants are randomly assigned to treatment or control groups, minimizing bias. Considered the gold standard for testing whether an intervention causes an effect.
Publication
Authors
Nicolaisen TS, Klein AB, Dmytriyeva O, Lund J, Ingerslev LR, Fritzen AM, Carl CS, Lundsgaard AM, Frost M, Ma T, Schjerling P, Gerhart-Hines Z, Flamant F, Gauthier K, Larsen S, Richter EA, Kiens B, Clemmensen C
Related Content
Claims (6)
Differences in the natural levels of thyroid hormones in the body are associated with changes in how many calories a person burns per day, with the maximum change being 10%.
When thyroid hormone receptor alpha 1 is removed from the skeletal muscle of mice, the slow-twitch muscle fibers in the soleus muscle become more dominated by type I fibers and fewer type IIA fibers, but the mice's ability to run and their motivation to exercise remain unchanged.
In mice, the thyroid hormone T3 raises overall energy use by acting on a specific receptor, TRα1, in skeletal muscle. When this receptor is disabled in muscle tissue, the increase in energy use does not occur, even when T3 levels in the blood remain normal.
In mice, a specific thyroid hormone receptor called TRα1 is not needed for thyroid hormone to affect energy production in fast-twitch muscle fibers, but it is required for thyroid hormone to increase energy production in slow-twitch muscle fibers.
In mice, the thyroid hormone T3 raises body temperature even when the thyroid hormone receptor TRα1 is not functional in skeletal muscle, indicating that the temperature increase does not depend on this specific receptor in muscle tissue.