Now What?
There’s a good chance that if you’ve been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism you’ve been prescribed levothyroxine in some shape or form and that’s the extent of what you’ve been told.
But did you know the number one cause of Hypothyroidism is an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Over 80% of Hypothyroidism cases are caused by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, so there’s a good chance that’s the cause for most.
Yet most are never tested for it!
Shocking I know, but the reason is generally that it doesn’t change medical treatment so many doctors don’t see the need in testing it.
My first abnormal TSH result came 8 years before I was finally diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and shortly after Hashimoto’s. In that time I struggled with a multitude of symptoms that all pointed to the fact my thyroid was struggling; fatigue, brain fog, digestive symptoms, anaemia, feeling cold constantly, sleep issues, weight fluctuation, mood regulation issues, hair loss, etc.
Not to mention I was already diagnosed with coeliac disease which is associated with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
So from a Nutritional therapy and functional health side of things why is it so important to have antibodies for Hashimoto’s tested?
Because there is so much you can do with diet and lifestyle and yes supplements if needed that can help you calm that autoimmune attack. If Hashimoto’s is diagnosed early enough, before too much damage has been inflicted on the thyroid, then there’s a chance you can avoid medication in the future for hypothyroidism. Even if it’s caught later on when medication is needed, you can still calm the autoimmune side of things. Doing this has helped me get back to living a normal life free from fatigue, pain, brain fog and the dozens of other symptoms I was experiencing on a daily basis.
In the following sections I’m going to share some of my dietary tips, things I wish I’d been told when I was first diagnosed. Things that would have avoided the constant struggle I faced every day for years.
Go Gluten Free! Regardless of whether you have coeliac disease or not those with Hashimoto’s tend to feel better on a gluten free diet. This is because of the role gluten plays in intestinal permeability (you may have heard it referred to as leaky gut). Gluten can upregulate something in your gut called Zonulin.
Zonulin helps to open the tight junctions between our cells in the gut wall, if you think of the tight junctions as gates between the cell walls, when zonulin increases these gates open. This process allows food particles through into the bloodstream where they shouldn’t be, the immune system then has to tag these food particles to remove them. If intestinal permeability becomes chronically increased then this puts a huge burden on the immune system and it can struggle to regulate itself, resulting in autoimmunity where it mistakenly starts to create antibodies against it’s own tissue, which may be similar in structure to the proteins found within the food particles, in the case of Hashimoto’s the attack is on the thyroid.
The protein gliadin which is contained within gluten is similar in structure to transglutaminase, this enzyme is abundant in the thyroid, an up-regulation of the immune response can lead to molecular mimicry where the immune system attacks transglutaminase as well as gliadin and causes continuing damage to the thyroid.
Go Dairy Free! Dairy works in much the same way as gluten when it comes to intestinal permeability, the protein casein found within dairy can increase zonulin levels.
Reduce or Remove Soy! Soy products contain goitrogens which can impact the availability of iodine within the thyroid. These goitrogens produce something called thyiocyanite which competes with Iodide at the thyroid receptors, causing a reduced uptake of Iodide which results in lower thyroid hormone levels being produced in the thyroid, as this Iodide is converted to Iodine in the thyroid and is crucial for thyroid hormone production. Unlike with cruciferous vegetables the goitrogens in soy cannot be deactivated by cooking. The goitrogens within soy can also lower the activity of thyroid peroxidase enzyme which is needed to produce thyroid hormones, so it can also reduce thyroid hormone production.
These are the 3 biggest tips I wish I’d been told about diet when it comes to Hashimoto’s and I recommend anyone with Hashimoto’s eliminate them.
But it’s no use removing these foods and directly replacing them with processed “free from” options as these can also contribute to intestinal permeability due to the inflammatory ingredients found within, such as emulsifiers, additives, refined white grains and oils, sugar, etc.
You need to look at natural alternatives and focus on a whole foods diet wherever possible. So gluten free wholegrain and pseudo grains instead of gluten and refined white grains for example.
If the damage has been done and you are already on medication why do you need to make the above dietary changes?
The reason is that no system within the body works in isolation, if one area is struggling, in this case it’s the thyroid and the immune system it can impact other systems too, the problem becomes systemic and this is what causes so many of your symptoms.
Intestinal permeability is now known to be a precursor to the development of autoimmune conditions (not just Hashimoto’s) and can keep the autoimmune attack active which is why it’s important to address anything that can increase intestinal permeability.
Management of Hashimoto’s can be complex, requiring a multi pronged approach of diet, lifestyle factors, toxin elimination and balancing of essential co-nutrients.
But with the right approach and support it is possible to live a full, healthy and happy life.
References
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