non thyroidal illness

maxinecc

I have had some blood tests and have a decreased TSH level. My Dr says to do the test again I 6 weeks. I have never heard of this before but searching on the internet it seems that it is to do with low carbohydrate levels and fasting. Basically it appears my body thinks it's starving. You get all the symptoms of an under active thyroid but still have normal levels in your blood. I was just wondering if anyone has heard of this and is it common amongst low carbers?

deansdad101

maxinecc wrote: »

I have had some blood tests and have a decreased TSH level. My Dr says to do the test again I 6 weeks. I have never heard of this before but searching on the internet it seems that it is to do with low carbohydrate levels and fasting. Basically it appears my body thinks it's starving. You get all the symptoms of an under active thyroid but still have normal levels in your blood. I was just wondering if anyone has heard of this and is it common amongst low carbers?

Maxi;

It's more likely that the reduced thyroid levels are actually a "good" thing resulting from the reduced carb intake than a "problem".

Much like most of what we've been fed as 'conventional wisdom" over the years is simply upside down (even, if not especially, among doctors) so too are the claims of reduced carbs being the "culprit" in the scenarios you've read.

Dr Ron Rosedale, a leader in the field states;
"...A lower number does not necessarily mean lower function. Often it means better function. As the body is functioning better, thyroid levels go down. <snip> When people criticize a very low-carbohydrate diet by saying that it causes hypothyroidism, it’s not only misleading but overtly wrong."


Cardiologist Dr. William Davis also says the claims about very low-carb diets and reduced thyroid function are “simply untrue.” He says that when someone on a ketogenic diet loses weight, levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH, one of the three key thyroid hormones checked on a thyroid panel) increase and free T3 (another thyroid hormone that’s checked on a more advanced thyroid panel) levels decrease, which some falsely believe indicates hypothyroidism. But Dr. Davis says this is not entirely accurate. “This specific situation does not represent disturbed thyroid function, but rather a physiologic adaptation to limit weight loss by reducing metabolic rate, a survival mechanism that is meant to protect the body from starvation,” he explains. “These hormonal adjustments are transient and correct themselves over several weeks after weight has plateaued. But it does not represent thyroid dysfunction.”

The above quotes are from the book "Keto Clarity" which I would highly recommend as a much better resource than a random "internet search". There are a number of documented references and perhaps even more importantly, a number of direct quotes that will lead you to additional information.

Chapter15 (about half way through the book) is titled "Ten Criticisms of Very Low Carb Keto Diets" and addresses each of the oft repeated "urban myths" in detail.

The book is available as an ebook for ~$10
Keto Clarity

nill4me

What is your calorie intake? sometimes when you go below 1200 cals for a significant amount of time, your thyroid levels can tank.

Dragonwolf

nill4me wrote: »

What is your calorie intake? sometimes when you go below 1200 cals for a significant amount of time, your thyroid levels can tank.

The 1200 thing is a bit misleading. Regardless of your intake, if you're not eating enough food for your body, your levels will tank. In other words, if you require 3000 calories, and you're eating 1800, your levels can still tank, because you're not eating nearly enough to fuel your body properly.

Also, I second DD's comments, and add Jimmy's blog post 7 Lingering Myths, which addresses the thyroid thing directly (Chris Kresser is a big one for claiming that keto reduces thyroid function).

The misinformation regarding thyroid hormones (and hormones in general) never ceases to boggle my mind. TSH is not a thyroid hormone, but a pituitary one. It stimulates the thyroid (that's why it's called Thyroid Stimulating Hormone). TSH is to the thyroid what insulin is to the pancreas, basically. No one thinks that lower insulin is a bad thing. In fact, lower insulin is considered a good thing in all but the most extreme cases (ie - as long as it's doing its job in keeping glucose in check), and high insulin means insulin resistance. Yet, TSH is generally considered "higher is better," even though high levels of TSH are more indicative of what basically amounts to TSH resistance not unlike insulin resistance, and is only half of the equation to truly determine thyroid function. (Once again, conventional medicine is asking the wrong questions to find an answer to a problem and hold people's health hostage to these fatally flawed tests.)

See more at STTM:

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/tsh-why-its-useless/
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/hypopituitary-faq/

maxinecc

Thanks for the replies...very interesting and a bit more reading is required. Generally I keep my carbs below 50 and have around 1700 calories per .day I did wonder if I had a vitamin d and calcium deficiency again. I also read somewhere that low selenium levels also effect the bodys ability to use thyroid hormones. I have also had low levels of this in the past. I will wait and see what the results of the retest say.

cindytw

I STRIVE for a low TSH because that means my thyroid is working as it should and I feel good. If it goes up, I have an issue. Anything over 2.0 is an issue for me, I bet I would be best at .5 or whatever the low limit is now. I have it checked regularly but can "feel" wen its off so the doc gave me a blank check to go to the lab whenever I feel the need.