Malnutrition Could Lead To Thyroid Malfunction

Hi Everyone. If you have been following Eat Burn Sleep for a while, you may remember that I wrote about thyroid foods and health at the beginning of the year. In this article, I will briefly explain the link between digestive issues like leaky gut syndrome and thyroid issues. If you have digestive issues, like leaky gut syndrome or IBS, along with thyroid issues, you may be deficient in micronutrients. What is unfortunate is that these micronutrients are imperative to keep your thyroid healthy, which puts you in a perpetual cycle of less-than-optimum thyroid health. So this post is about how you can heal digestive issues and intestinal conditions like leaky gut syndrome, absorb the proper nutrients for thyroid hormone synthesis, and protect yourself from other diseases related to the thyroid.

What Is the Best Thyroid Diet?

Thyroid Issues and Leaky Gut Syndrome

What Is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

How Food Links to Thyroid Issues

Micronutrients Affect the Thyroid

What Are the Symptoms of Thyroid Issues?

What Food Affects the Thyroid?

Thyroid Healing Diet & Lifestyle

What Is the Best Thyroid Diet?

The best thyroid diet has a focus on gut microbiota. You see, your gut bacteria influence many functions in the body. Not only does the gut microbiota influence the availability of the micronutrients needed for thyroid hormone synthesis, but as I mentioned above, it influences the development of further thyroid diseases. Healthy gut bacteria have beneficial effects on immune system activity and may prevent thyroid hormone fluctuation and disorders. A healthy composition of gut bacteria influences things like the availability of iron, which allows the utilization of vital nutrients for thyroid health. It also provides the perfect reservoir for T3 (one of the thyroid hormones), for instance.

Thyroid Issues and Leaky Gut Syndrome

There’s a reason why if you have the autoimmune thyroid disease Hashimoto’s or Graves disease, it wouldn’t be surprising if you had leaky gut syndrome. Or any intestinal disease like celiac disease or digestive issues like IBS, bloating, and diarrhea. Intestinal diseases and thyroid diseases often co-exist. Chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases affect the thyroid gland.

What Is Leaky Gut Syndrome?

Leaky Gut Syndrome, also known as ‘increased intestinal permeability,’ is an intestinal (or digestive) condition. Inside our stomachs, we have an extensive intestinal lining. Like a tight net, this lining forms a barrier and filters what gets absorbed into the bloodstream. When it is damaged and malfunctioning, a barrier doesn’t exist, and it may have cracks and holes in it. It may become ‘leaky’. These holes allow partially digested food, harmful bacteria, and other toxins to penetrate the tissues beneath them. The immune system then becomes activated because it sees the particles as foreign objects or can react with other intestinal tissues. The tissues become inflamed, and the regular bacteria change.

How Food Links to Thyroid Issues

The changes in gut bacteria (dysbiosis) lead to inflammation and digestive conditions and affect other aspects of your health too. The gut dysbiosis that occurs with digestive issues alters the immune response by promoting inflammation and reducing immune tolerance. This interferes with important conversion and functions of thyroid hormones. Plus, nutrients for the thyroid are not absorbed. Dysbiosis has not only been found in autoimmune thyroid diseases like Graves and Hashimoto’s, but it has been reported in thyroid carcinoma (which is treatable these days). What you eat can change gut bacteria, cause dysbiosis, and affect thyroid hormone synthesis. Gut bacteria that are fed by the food that you choose may be having a detrimental effect on your thyroid. Bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract (gut) must be diverse and are a mix of viruses, protozoa, fungi, etc. If the mix gets disturbed and the harmful bacteria start multiplying, then this is the state when health becomes challenged. The bad guys can multiply for many reasons, but certainly because of the type of food you eat (and don’t eat!). For example, if you love fried foods every day of the week, the harmful bacteria that welcome compounds that are not particularly good for you will thrive on that. Feed them regularly, and your body goes into a state of disease. Malnutrition (insufficient nutrition) affects the functioning and recovery of the gastrointestinal tract, immune and thyroid (as well as every single organ!).

Micronutrients Affect the Thyroid

Gut microbiota has to be a certain mix to ensure essential micronutrients obtained from food are available for thyroid hormone synthesis. Also, the necessary conversion of T4 (thyroxine: mood, body, temperature, metabolism) to T3 (triiodothyronine: digestive, metabolic, bone health) is performed in the liver, as well. Then, it would help if you had vitamin D because this hormone (vitamin D is a hormone) assists in regulating the immune response and for healthy bones, teeth, and muscles. 90% is produced by sunlight and 10% by food. The Benefits of Sun Exposure explains more about vitamin D. This is why the liver needs to be looked after, too.  Not to mention that thyroid medication is heavy on the liver! Have you read: Detox Your Liver Naturally? Studies have shown that these specific co-existing micronutrients, including iodine and zinc, essential for hormone synthesis and immune response regulation, are deficient in people with autoimmune thyroid diseases.

What Are the Symptoms of Thyroid Issues?

This article: Thyroid Health Foods & Advice, tells you:

• * the symptoms of a low thyroid function
• * the symptoms of hyperthyroidism
• * about men’s symptoms of thyroid issues
• * what can cause thyroid disorders
• * how a healthy thyroid functions
• * the importance of liver detoxing (our detox is so powerful!) for thyroid health

 

What Food Affects the Thyroid?

Many foods affect the thyroid, but you must ensure that you eat the right food with the right micronutrients because malnutrition can lead to thyroid malfunction. Members, please check personalized advice for thyroid issues and watch the Masterclass Live on thyroid issues.  Non-members, you can join here to access the best thyroid diet and lifestyle to avoid malnutrition and heal your digestive condition. Here are a couple of recipes to sample: Asian Beef Lettuce Wraps & Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies. It is easy to follow and equips you with all the tools you need to be in your best health, including the proper exercise for your thyroid that is associated with improving serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and cortisol-reducing practices (stress affects T4 and metabolism is affected), for instance. 

Thyroid Healing Diet & Lifestyle

Healing your gut lining, promoting positive changes in gut bacteria, absorbing nutrients, boosting immunity, reducing inflammation, detoxing your liver, treating conditions like leaky gut, IBS, IBD, celiac, Crohn’s, Colitis, diverticulitis…it’s all here! Be wary of following online thyroid diets from non-reputable sources. Some tell you to eat lots of vegetables, which is dangerous. Certain vegetables may block the body’s ability to utilize iodine, which is essential for thyroid health, as mentioned above. Some minerals and foods interfere with thyroid medication. A good thyroid diet is rather complex; getting nutrition advice from a trusted source is essential. Not everything ‘obviously’ healthy is healthy. Not everything is off-limits on EBS. The impact of food on thyroid issues shouldn’t be underestimated. Good nutrition is fundamental to good health. Check out the reviews! I hope that your day is healthy and happy. Favorite