T2 Thyroid Supplement Benefits: Why Thyroid Patients Need It

T2 thyroid supplements are becoming more and more popular among thyroid patients, and for good reason.

Not only is T2 usable with all other thyroid medications and hormones, it also provides unique benefits that you just don’t get from conventional treatments like levothyroxine.

As a result, literally tens of thousands of thyroid patients are using it each month.

But if you are just hearing about it for the first time, you’re probably wondering what it actually does.

So let me fill you in:

1. Boosts Basal Metabolic Rate

Unlike other thyroid hormones (such as T4 and T3), T2 has a bit more of a specific set of benefits and actions.

Instead of targeting most cells in your body, it focuses on just a handful.

But because it’s more focused, it also provides more benefit to those specific tissues when compared to just T4 or T3 alone.

One of those targets is the mitochondria inside your cells (1).

By activating these organelles, your body becomes more efficient at creating energy in the form of ATP.

The more energy that you produce at rest, the higher your metabolism will be. It’s pretty simple.

Yes, this is the same thing that other thyroid hormones like T3 do, but T2 seems to do it more efficiently.

This, coupled with some of the other benefits we are about to discuss, is why thyroid patients love to use T2 for weight loss.

2. Promotes the Browning of Fat

Another unique feature of T2 is its ability to promote the browning of fat (2).

Unlike white fat, which is used by the body to store calories and energy, brown fat is metabolically active and is used by your body to generate heat.

The more brown fat that you have on your body, the higher your metabolism will be.

So any treatment that promotes the browning of your fat will have an impact both on your weight and on your metabolism in a positive way.

This is particularly valuable to thyroid patients who often struggle to lose weight.

And, again, T2 appears to be more effective at this effect than even T3.

This is why you can safely combine T2 with other thyroid hormones like T3.

3. Increases Cellular Energy, ATP Production & Promotes Fat Oxidation and Weight Loss

One of the most common symptoms endorsed by thyroid patients is fatigue.

But T2 may be a solution for two reasons:

The first is that it directly impacts mitochondrial production, thereby improving ATP production.

The second is that this increase in cellular activation promotes the breakdown of fat for the use of energy (3).

So instead of keeping your fat as an energy source for a rainy day, T2 promotes its breakdown as an energy source.

This combination of events further helps with weight loss while also helping fight fatigue.

And the more energy that you have, the easier it is for you to get up and go, which means you’re going to be burning more calories through your activity level.

4. Supports Muscle Tone and Mitochondrial Health

Muscle mass is far more important to your thyroid health than you probably realize and it’s something that thyroid patients often neglect.

But you can support your muscle health by taking T2 (4).

In states of low thyroid function, muscle health declines due to inefficient energy production.

But as you take T2, your muscles regain their energy efficiency which means they have better tone, even at rest.

The energy used to support muscle tone means more calorie burn for you, and better thyroid function overall.

This effect also means that you will have an easier time exercising.

5. Complements Other Thyroid Therapies

Probably the single most important benefit of taking T2 is its effect on other thyroid hormones like T4 and T3.

Starting from the top, your body breaks down T4 into T3, and then T3 gets broken down into T2, and then T2 gets broken down into T1.

The speed at which you do this will vary from individual to individual based on your genetics.

But because some thyroid hormones, like T3, are more powerful than others, you may be zooming through that stage when it would be better if your body slowed down to allow that T3 to do its job.

This is where T2 steps in.

When you take T2, you not only stabilize the breakdown of T3 into T2, but you also enhance the cellular function of T3.

Research indicates that T2 can do this by acting as a ligand on the thyroid nuclear receptor (5).

On top of this, taking T2 makes sense given that it’s something that your body produces naturally.

But if you have a thyroid problem, you are only taking one thyroid hormone, usually T4 from levothyroxine.

When you add T2 to your regimen, you more closely mimic the thyroid hormone production of the healthy thyroid gland, which is probably why thyroid patients who take it feel way better than those who do not.

One quick way to determine if T2 would be beneficial to take is by asking yourself this question:

Do I feel normal taking my thyroid medication?

If the answer is no, then you’d probably benefit from taking T2.

All that said, it’s important to realize that even though T2 has its own functions and actions, it does not replace the need for other thyroid hormones like T4 and T3.

It’s considered complementary to them.

6. Regulates Cholesterol Levels

In addition to its effects on metabolism and energy, T2 supplementation can also help you regulate cholesterol levels.

Emerging research suggests that T2 promotes the clearing of LDL particles (6) which may help reduce LDL and total cholesterol.

This is really important for many thyroid patients who often struggle with high cholesterol due to undertreatment with thyroid medication.

And because many thyroid patients want to avoid taking statins, the use of T2 can provide a more natural approach to cholesterol management.

T2 Dosing: How Much Should You Take?

Like any thyroid hormone, dosing matters.

If you don’t take enough T2 then you won’t get any benefit and if you take too much, you risk pushing yourself into a hyperthyroid state.

The good news is that dosing T2 is pretty simple.

Existing research, and my own experience in manufacturing T2 supplements for several years, indicate that the ideal dose is somewhere between 100 and 200 mcg of T2 as 3,5 diiodo-l-thyronine (the most biologically active form of T2).

This dose provides all of the benefits we’ve discussed, minimizes the effects of taking too much (such as feeling jittery), and has no impact on the TSH.

This dosing regimen works for about 80% of thyroid patients.

But 10% of thyroid patients may need a smaller dose and 10% may need a higher dose.

For that 20%, here are some helpful tips:

• Start Low: Begin your dosing at 100 mcg per day of T2 and only increase if needed. There’s no rush here, so take your time in figuring out what works. If you find that 100 mcg is too much for you, then you can try taking your dose every other day or switching to another route such as cream instead of capsules.
• Adjust Gradually: Just like other thyroid hormones, you don’t want to rush to the higher end of the dosing schedule. Instead, increase your dose by 50-100 mcg every 2 weeks and monitor how you feel.
• Monitor Your Symptoms: Always pay attention to how your body responds to changes in thyroid hormones. If you feel jittery or anxious or start having heart palpitations, that’s probably a sign that you’re taking more than you need.

No matter how sensitive you are to T2, your dose should never exceed 300 mcg per day.

It’s at this range that taking T2 will start to impact your TSH and may start to cause unwanted side effects.

As far as T2 supplements go, you have two options:

T2 capsules and T2 cream.

T2 cream is roughly 2-2.5x more potent when compared to T2 capsules, so the recommended dosing range for cream is less than that of capsules.

Both options work great, so you’ll likely need to experiment with each to figure out what works best for your body and your genetics.

Putting It All Together

My personal recommendation is to use T2 as part of a comprehensive thyroid treatment plan which includes both T4 and T3.

This routine provides you with a similar thyroid hormone profile as what you’d see in someone who does not have a thyroid problem.

And it makes sense to me that you’d want to mimic that person.

It’s also the case, that thyroid patients who do this tend to have better symptom control compared to those who don’t.

So there’s that too.

By the way, if you’re worried about T2 side effects, you should check out this article next.

In it, I debunk a lot of misinformation and myths out there about the alleged dangers of using T2 all backed by the latest research.