Commonly prescribed thyroid drug levothyroxine was linked with bone mass and bone density loss in a cohort of older adults in a recent study.

Prescribed to treat hypothyroidism and thyroid cancer, around 7% of the U.S. population takes levothyroxine. The drug is a synthetic version of a hormone called thyroxine and, according to a recent report from the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA),

Levothyroxine is a synthetic hormone often prescribed to treat hypothyroidism. People with the condition don't make enough thyroxine on their own, which can cause weight gain, fatigue, hair loss and eventually lead to serious, even deadly, complications.

A new study reveals a potential link between levothyroxine, a common treatment for underactive thyroid, and bone loss in older adults. Researchers found that even with normal thyroid hormone levels, levothyroxine users experienced greater bone density reduction over a six-year period.