Vegan Diet for Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s Disease RD
Despite the potential risks, recent studies have been showing positive synthroid simvastatin associations between veganism and autoimmune disease. It’s important to speak to your doctor and dietitian regarding what supplements you should take as some may interact with your medications. The supplements you take should also be personalized to your needs.
- Incident cases were calculated to be 0.36% per year, if incidence was equally distributed over the entire follow-up period of 6 years—however, this was not the case as shown in Table 3.
- The incidence is increased in women, with increasing age and is less common in Blacks.
- A deficiency can lead to anemia, nervous system damage, infertility, and an increased risk of bone and heart disease (4, 5).
- A starting place, if you are trying to make decisions about medications, is to discuss options with your physician.
Has a whole-food, plant-based diet impacted your life?
I eventually ended up cutting my hair to my shoulders because it became really hard (and depressing) to manage (not to mention, I had become very self-conscious about my hair). My back began hurting daily and headaches became a nearly daily occurrence. Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune condition in which a person’s antibodies attack their thyroid and cause inflammation. It is thenumber one cause of hypothyroidism in the United States.
Questionnaires were returned by pre-paid envelopes and edited for missing data and stray marks. If the research staff felt data entries required confirmation, or demographic data were missing, a phone call was made to verify these entries. The Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2) is a longitudinal study initiated to investigate the role of foods and their relationship to disease, particularly cancer. Participants were members of the Seventh-day Adventist church recruited through their respective churches in the U.S. and Canada. Participants were eligible if they were proficient in English and were aged ≥30 years. All instruments and procedures were approved by the Loma Linda University Institutional Review Board in June 2001; approval was renewed annually thereafter.
My Experience with the Vegan Diet
Not necessarily, but I do think the “best” diet for hypothyroidism is one that incorporates plenty of fruits and vegetables and this is something that the vegan diet does right. Iodine deficiency can result in hypothyroidism, skin problems, weight gain, and increased cholesterol levels. Last fall, my blood tests showed that I’d tipped over, just slightly, into HYPERthyroid territory so my endocrinologist decreased my thyroid hormone medication. I was just beginning to show signs of depression but my endocrinologist was positive that it was separate from thyroid issues because of the blood test results.
- Iodine is essential for thyroid function, which regulates metabolism.
- Of about 97,000 respondents, complete data for all variables at baseline was available for 65,981.
- Iron is essential for DNA production, red blood cell formation, oxygen transport, and energy metabolism.
This means there’s no established need to supplement with K2, especially when trials using it for bone and heart health have largely failed (8). UMMC recommends several natural supplements to improve the symptoms of hypothyroidism. Vitamins A, B-complex, C and E, magnesium, calcium, zinc, selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, alpha-lipoic acid and L-tyrosine are recommended. Herbal supplements include bladderwrack, green tea, coleus and guggul. Consult a health care provider that is educated in natural alternatives to determine what will work best for you.
How should my bowels function with a healthy digestive system
EPA and DHA play a key role in brain and eye health and may help reduce inflammation, depression, breast cancer risk, and ADHD (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). ALA-rich plant sources include flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, hemp seeds, and soybeans, while EPA and DHA are primarily found in fatty fish and fish oil. While calcium is essential (6), it’s best to obtain it from nutrient-dense foods such as dark leafy greens, sesame seeds, and nuts. To meet your calcium needs, try incorporating several servings of dark leafy greens into your daily meals.
Foods to eat
However, the panel advises against exceeding the RDA in healthy adults under 75 unless they have specific health conditions or take medications that affect vitamin D levels (6). I met with the endocrinologist and she noted that my TSH (a hormone sent from the pituitary gland to the thyroid to stimluate thryoid hormones) level was a little on the high side but still within normal range. She also discovered that one side of my thyroid was larger than the other. She told me to take the vitamin D for six weeks and then return after having another blood test and a thyroid ultrasound. During those 6 weeks, I gained 10 pounds and though I had a bit more energy, not much else was improving.
The data aren’t conclusive, though, with some studies showing ahigher association and others showing no association (9). Sunlight is typically the primary source of D for most people but due to many people staying indoors and the judicious use of sunscreen, food has become more and more important. A starting place, if you are trying to make decisions about medications, is to discuss options with your physician. Once you have a list of medications, websites like PDR – Prescribers’ Digital Reference can help you identify ingredients.
Table of contents
If you’re over 65, consider taking 1,000 mcg of cyanocobalamin daily (7). Always take a separate B12 supplement, not as part of a multivitamin (8). Always consult a healthcare provider before starting any new supplement regimen, especially if you have existing health conditions or concerns. An excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids is flaxseed, chia seeds, and walnuts.
Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting and has been studied for potential roles in bone and cardiovascular health (1). However, the efficacy of vitamin K supplementation in these areas remains uncertain (2). It’s important to note that excessive selenium intake can lead to toxicity.