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- National Endocrine and Metabolic Disease Information Service
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Food Sources of Selenium
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Should You Avoid Certain Foods When You Have Hashimoto's Thyroid Disease?
Hashimoto's thyroid disease is one of the most common types of hypothyroidism in the United States 2. Most commonly occurring in middle-aged women, this endocrine disorder is caused by the immune system attacking the thyroid gland. After diagnosis, medication is given to regulate thyroid levels in the body. Certain foods should be limited to enhance the effectiveness of thyroid medications.
Limit Fiber
A diet rich in fiber may increase the transit time in the intestines, allowing a greater excretion of thyroid medication in the stool. Fiber in the diet should be limited to enhance the effectiveness of thyroid medication. Fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains are considered good sources of fiber.
Limit Soy Foods
What Causes Breast Enlargement With Thyroid Medicines?
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Soy foods have also been associated with a negative interaction with thyroid medications and may lead to goiter in some individuals, according to Dr. Mike Fitzpatrick, an environmental scientist and soy expert. Sources of soy include edamame, soy milk, tofu, tempeh and processed foods with soy isolates. These foods should be limited in the diet.
Other Considerations
Certain foods and supplements may be helpful when taking thyroxine to treat Hashimoto's thyroid disease. Research published in the "Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism" indicates that taking selenium supplements or eating foods rich in selenium may help to increase the uptake of thyroxine 1. Nuts, breads, cereal, rice, oatmeal, turkey and tuna are all sources of selenium in the diet.
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References
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Food Sources of Selenium
- Thyroid-Info.com: Soy and Hypothyroidism
- Leung AM, Braverman LE, Pearce EN. History of U.S. iodine fortification and supplementation [published correction appears in Nutrients. 2017 Sep 05;9(9):]. Nutrients. 2012;4(11):1740–1746. Published 2012 Nov 13. doi:10.3390/nu4111740
- Turesky RJ. Mechanistic Evidence for Red Meat and Processed Meat Intake and Cancer Risk: A Follow-up on the International Agency for Research on Cancer Evaluation of 2015. Chimia (Aarau). 2018;72(10):718-724. doi:10.2533/chimia.2018.718
- Lee BH, Yang AR, Kim MY, McCurdy S, Boisvert WA. Natural sea salt consumption confers protection against hypertension and kidney damage in Dahl salt-sensitive rats [published correction appears in Food Nutr Res. 2017 Mar 20;61(1):1300375]. Food Nutr Res. 2016;61(1):1264713. Published 2016 Dec 20. doi:10.1080/16546628.2017.1264713
- Daley CA, Abbott A, Doyle PS, Nader GA, Larson S. A review of fatty acid profiles and antioxidant content in grass-fed and grain-fed beef. Nutr J. 2010;9:10. Published 2010 Mar 10. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-9-10
- Campbell AW. Autoimmunity and the gut. Autoimmune Dis. 2014;2014:152428. doi:10.1155/2014/152428
- Azizi F, Mehran L, Hosseinpanah F, Delshad H, Amouzegar A. Primordial and Primary Preventions of Thyroid Disease. Int J Endocrinol Metab. 2017;15(4):e57871. Published 2017 Oct 7. doi:10.5812/ijem.57871
- Abbott RD, Sadowski A, Alt AG. Efficacy of the Autoimmune Protocol Diet as Part of a Multi-disciplinary, Supported Lifestyle Intervention for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Cureus. 2019;11(4):e4556. Published 2019 Apr 27. doi:10.7759/cureus.4556
- Bajaj JK, Salwan P, Salwan S. Various Possible Toxicants Involved in Thyroid Dysfunction: A Review. J Clin Diagn Res. 2016;10(1):FE01–FE3. doi:10.7860/JCDR/2016/15195.7092
- Daily Nutritional Goals for Age-Sex Groups Based on Dietary Reference Intakes and Dietary Guidelines Recommendations. Dietary Guidelines 2015-2020. US Department of Agriculture.
- Simsek Y, Cakir I, Yetmis M, Dizdar OS, Baspinar O, Gokay F. Effects of Vitamin D treatment on thyroid autoimmunity. J Res Med Sci 2016;21:85 doi:10.4103/1735-1995.192501
- Vitamin D. Fact Sheet for Professionals. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. August 9, 2019
- Vitamin B12. Fact Sheet for Professionals. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. July 9, 2019
- Yaofu Fan, Shuhang Xu, Huifeng Zhang, et al., Selenium Supplementation for Autoimmune Thyroiditis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, International Journal of Endocrinology, vol. 2014, Article ID 904573, 8 pages, 2014. doi:10.1155/2014/904573
- Selenium. Fact Sheet for Professionals. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. October 17, 2019
- Soliman AT, De Sanctis V, Yassin M, Wagdy M, Soliman N. Chronic anemia and thyroid function. Acta Biomed. 2017;88(1):119–127. Published 2017 Apr 28. doi:10.23750/abm.v88i1.6048
- Iron. Fact Sheet for Professionals. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. October 16, 2019
- Zinc. Fact Sheet for Professionals. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. July 10, 2019
- Zimmermann MB, Boelaert K. Iodine deficiency and thyroid disorders. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol. 2015;3(4):286-95. doi:10.1016/S2213-8587(14)70225-6
- Cappelli C, Pirola I, Gandossi E, Formenti A, Castellano M. Oral liquid levothyroxine treatment at breakfast: a mistake?. Eur J Endocrinol. 2014;170(1):95-9. doi:10.1530/EJE-13-0693
- Anton SD, Moehl K, Donahoo WT, et al. Flipping the Metabolic Switch: Understanding and Applying the Health Benefits of Fasting. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2018;26(2):254–268. doi:10.1002/oby.22065
- Armstrong LE, Johnson EC. Water Intake, Water Balance, and the Elusive Daily Water Requirement. Nutrients. 2018;10(12):1928. Published 2018 Dec 5. doi:10.3390/nu10121928
- Simsek Y, Cakır I, Yetmis M, Dizdar OS, Baspinar O, Gokay F. Effects of Vitamin D Treatment on Thyroid Autoimmunity. Journal of Research in Medical Sciences. October 2016;21:85. doi:10.4103/1735-1995.192501.
Writer Bio
Dena McDowell started writing in 2001 with work published in the "Milwaukee Journal Sentinel," "M Magazine," "Women and Cancer" magazine and online at The Diet Channel. She is a contributor to TOPS and TherapEase Cuisine. McDowell is a registered dietitian and holds a Bachelor of Science in dietetics from the University of Wisconsin and a master's degree in nutrition and counseling from Mount Mary College.