Bye-bye thyroid belly!

Nutrient shortfalls put women at risk for low thyroid + weight gain. Top doctor shares the mineral mix that helps women like Shannon Clark speed off 100% more belly fat

- BY LISA MAXBAUER

'Thyroid belly,' the stubborn weight gain that often comes with thyroid conditions, has sparked attention on social media recently. And rightly so. “The thyroid is like our body’s gas pedal, determining how many calories we burn,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D. What’s left over gets stored as belly fat. Even worse: The number of people with faulty thyroids has doubled since 2002. And most are undiagnosed. Fortunately, you can slim a thyroid belly. Just ask Shannon Clark, who shed 236 lbs and lost 20 inches in her waist!

Around 47% of people with thyroid problems end up gaining weight, finds a 2024 Frontiers in Endocrinology study. And evidence shows that having low thyroid function puts you at greater risk of packing on visceral belly fat.

This type of dangerous fat piles on around our vital internal organs and is linked to health issues like heart disease, diabetes and high cholesterol. Low thyroid hormone levels also raise the risk of insulin resistance, a condition that further drives belly-fat gain.

Adding to the problem: Research shows constipation is one of the most common symptoms of low thyroid. And that can lead to bloating, which affects how well your clothes fit—especially around the waist.

The thyroid gland in our neck has a distinct butterfly shape and is often called the master of our metabolism. But a ‘thyroid belly’ can take various shapes. Some women describe theirs as a soft, doughy pooch on the lower abdomen. When the gland is under attack and inflamed—as it is for