Q: Has Thyro-Gold been chemically "stripped" of T4 and T3 in the same manner as other so-called "dietary" thyroid supplements? Or is it pure, unadulterated bovine thyroid that contains naturally occurring T4,T3,T2,T1 hormones? May 23, 2010

Dr. Lowe: Thyro-Gold contains all the natural contents of the bovine thyroid gland.
Many people believe there is such a thing as “thyroxine-free” desiccated thyroid. Presumably, the T4 has been selectively removed from these products, leaving only T3, T2, and T1.

Maybe there are “thyroxine-free” products with the T3, T2, and T1 left in. I tentatively accepted this as true when RLC Labs’ Chief Science Officer told me there was. But if there is a technology for selectively removing T4, it’s being cleverly hidden from me and my colleagues, such as the biochemist who researches such issues with me.

As far as I know at this point, the term “thyroxine-free desiccated thyroid” actually refers to desiccated thyroid tissue from which all the iodinated compounds (T4, T3, T2, and T1) have been removed.

I say this based on carefully acquired evidence: we’ve systematically tested “thyroxine-free” thyroid tissue, and we found it to be metabolically inert. If the tissue we’ve tested is typical of all products labeled “thyroxine-free,” this means that people who use them to increase their body’s thyroid hormone regulation are likely to be very disappointed. We’ll notify readers if we find evidence that justifies a change in our current belief. But right now, our belief is this: dietary desiccated thyroid either contains the full array of thyroid hormones, or it contains none at all. Thyro-Gold contains them all.

I hope this is helpful, Ion.