LCHF and Hypothyroidism?

jjejjtu

I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism and started taking Levothyroxine for it, but that medication is really not agreeing with me and I would like to see if I can keep the hypothyroidism in check through diet alone, specifically through LCHF. I'm wondering if anyone out there is doing something similar with the LCHF diet. I have read conflicting information online about whether it's a good diet to follow with this condition, so I was hoping to hear from anyone who may have tried it and find out how it went for you.

I followed a LCHF diet pretty strictly through most of 2015 and well into 2016, and decided not too long ago to transition into a more plant-based diet. I do wonder if the LCHF diet was keeping the (not yet diagnosed) hypothyroidism in check, and whether transitioning to eating more grains, legumes, and starches caused my TSH to rise. I had a blood test recently due to having some sleep issues, and that's when they discovered the high TSH. With my blood test two years ago my TSH was normal.

If anyone has had any experience with this, or has any knowledge of it, please let me know. Thanks!

Sunny_Bunny_

I don't know anything about thyroid stuff but there is an online Summit with Izabella Wentz, Addressing the issues below.
The Root Cause of Thyroid Imbalance
The true cause of Hashimoto’s
Best ways to treat thyroid imbalance
Role of nutrients and toxins in autoimmune diseases
http://fatsummit.com/izabella-wentz/
Each day you can watch certain videos and they usually extend it to a second day. You will have to register to watch them or you can just search for her to find other resources in sure.

I know there are many members here with thyroid conditions though so I'm sure someone will share their experience.

jmarie1025

I'm also recently diagnosed and am on levothyroxine. It took my body a couple of weeks to adjust to the meds, but now I'm feeling fine. Maybe just give it a little more time? I found that I need to have a big glass of water with the pill to avoid any side effects. From what I understand meds are necessary, but LCHF can certainly help especially with the weight loss.
Are you seeing an endocrinologist? If not, you probably should. If you are then call them and explain you aren't feeing well. There are other meds you can take.
Good luck!

canadjineh

Hi @looking4better: Here's a continuing thread here in the Low Carber Forum on thyroid disorders and meds that's quite recent and very interesting... community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10462956/please-help-decipher-thyroid-tests/p1

emaline2210

I have hashimotos, which is an auto immune version of hypothyroid. My tsh often shows "normal ", but my antibodies are very high and attacking my thyroid. Many doctors will not test antibodies, so I would urge you to request this from your doctor, as you may have been in normal tsh range with high antibodies prior to this test.

Anyway, I too, am eating lchf in order to treat this. I have been diagnosed for about 15 years, and done many different things and tried different medications. I'm learning the importance of diet and taking care of my body. For now, I'm sticking to 20 grams of carbs or less until my blood work next week. I want to see where my antibodies etc are after a month of lchf and a low dose of armorthroid, along with supplementation and increased exercise.

My symptoms speak for themself as I was often so sick and achy that I had a hard time moving. Through this, the pounds packed on. I'm finding the inflammation issues are resolving each day, and I'm able to move more and more and I have more energy. My husband reports that I don't look like I'm in pain while walking anymore and that I am more energetic and lively. I fall asleep on the couch later, too!

I've been researching other beneficial approaches and supplementation, like selenium and vitamin a, in addition to bone broth and fermented foods. I have not yet incorporated this into my routine.

Tl;dr: I've found this way of eating to be very beneficial for my thyroid challenges.

canadjineh

Tyrosine & Selenium are solving it for me @emaline2210. All other thyroid parameters were showing 'normal' except antibodies at 1108 u/ml. After no changes except above supplementation I dropped that level by 63% to 407 u/ml. I'm continuing with that since the studies show it will keep on improving. I hope to get it to normal (under 60 u/ml) in another 6 months.

KnitOrMiss

looking4better wrote: »

I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism and started taking Levothyroxine for it, but that medication is really not agreeing with me and I would like to see if I can keep the hypothyroidism in check through diet alone, specifically through LCHF. I'm wondering if anyone out there is doing something similar with the LCHF diet. I have read conflicting information online about whether it's a good diet to follow with this condition, so I was hoping to hear from anyone who may have tried it and find out how it went for you.

I followed a LCHF diet pretty strictly through most of 2015 and well into 2016, and decided not too long ago to transition into a more plant-based diet. I do wonder if the LCHF diet was keeping the (not yet diagnosed) hypothyroidism in check, and whether transitioning to eating more grains, legumes, and starches caused my TSH to rise. I had a blood test recently due to having some sleep issues, and that's when they discovered the high TSH. With my blood test two years ago my TSH was normal.

If anyone has had any experience with this, or has any knowledge of it, please let me know. Thanks!

@looking4better - I've been diagnosed with hypothyroidism for several years now, and so I have an accumulation of data in my head, so forgive me if my sources aren't all here or correct.

Gluten apparently is a mortal enemy of the thyroid - if you have even the tiniest blip of any thyroid function reduction. So if in switching back to the plant-based diet, you added ANY gluten, that would be the first thing I would eliminate. I struggle heartily with this myself, but that would be my first course of action.

My second major thing to consider would be nutrient differences. Figure out EXACTLY what nutrients you dropped when you switched to more your more plant-based diet. Figure out the nutritional info on what you dropped and on what you added. See if you can strike more of a balance. B vitamins are something in most meats that lack more so in a vegetarian style diet. So are a lot of other things, without intentionally arranging foods.

Third, there are a few different places to find the recommended tests. (stopthethyroidmadness.com) is one of the better sites.

Maria Emmerich's book that was recently posted in the "free books" thread here has the MOST comprehensive list of supplements for thyroid support that I've found and make the MOST difference.

All of that being said, what you do mean when you save the Levo is "not agreeing with you?" There are so many things that could mean, I can't begin to give any suggestions without knowing what you mean... If your thyroid dysfunction is high enough that tests indicated you need supplementation, you need to supplement until you can get back into a normal range. The thyroid basically is the control system for nearly all metabolic function in the body, so there are SOOOOO many more things affected by your thyroid that just IT... You may be able to repair your thyroid to the point where you don't need medication, but that won't be by tomorrow. It may be possible that you need a different type of medication, together with, or in place of the Levo...or just supplements to better support it, etc. So if you have give better ideas as to what it means to not agree with you, that would be very helpful.

As for me, personally, LCHF is GREAT for MY thyroid function, but keto without nutritional balance is NOT.

nvmomketo

I found going keto to make no difference in my thyroid function. I took 150mcg of desiccated thyroid before going keto and still take the same even though I am 30lbs lighter. To be honest, I may need more because I can't often get my temperature above 97F lately, although I have no other symptoms.

Going gluten free did not seem to help much with my hashi's either. I went GF around the same time I started treating my thyroid with synthroid (started at 50mcg and got to 180mcg) which did not do much of anything for me... and I'm a celiac so I thought it would have helped more.

I think my thyroid is pretty much kaput though, so it might have been too late to help it much.

emaline2210

To expand more on the gf:

This is originally where I started. I've seen two different naturopaths for 15 years since I've been diagnosed, and neither one of them ever told me to be exclusively gluten free. I've been seeing a western med nurse practitioner, because she's covered by insurance, and she called me on her own time to let me know that she had just learned of the gluten and thyroid connection.

I've been gluten free since that phone call (I had tried before, but never strictly for medical purposes), and when I had some chicken wings the other night, the entire next day was shot. I felt like I always felt before. I had intense body aches all over, but especially in my lower back. This had happened one other time, when I decided to have a beer after a long day of moving. No more little slip ups for me.

I've definitely made the connection that gluten affects me very negatively. I don't have the tummy problems or bathroom problems that I was always looking for. For me, it's the inflammation that results in extreme achiness.

jjejjtu

Wow, thank you everyone for your thoughtful and informational replies. I am getting a lot out of these responses.

@Sunny_Bunny_ -- I did look up Izabella Wentz and have learned so much already from what I have read and seen of hers, so thank you for that recommendation.

@jmarie1025 -- I'm not yet seeing an endocrinologist but am going to. My doctor has not been super helpful and isn't giving me a lot of information. I have decided to give the meds more time though, because everything I'm reading is telling me that it's essential to take them. Going to start again tomorrow morning.

@canadjineh -- thank you for the link! I was not sure how to search the group for prior posts about this. Also, that's great to hear about the Selenium and Tyrosine. I read a bit about the Selenium and decided to order some. I'll have to look into the Tyrosine.

@emaline2210 -- I am actually beginning to suspect I might have Hashimoto's. I asked my doctor via email if she could determine the cause of the hypothyroidism via my blood tests and whether it could be Hashimoto's. She basically said that it could be Hashimoto's or there could be some other cause, and left it there. To which I responded, WELL, can I be tested for Hashimoto's?? So yes, that's going to happen. I do think I've had this for longer than 2 years, because I have been sore, lethargic, and feeling half dead for years. I looked up my symptoms a few years back and thought the hypothyroid symptoms sounded exactly like me. But then I had that blood test done and since nothing was flagged I figured I was just getting slower as I got older.

@KnitOrMiss -- When I said the levo wasn't agreeing with me, it was giving me bad headaches and nausea and rendering me almost useless. I have decided to give it more time though and see if my body will adapt to it. As far as diet, yes, I did start eating gluten again (in the form of noodles, bagels, baked goods, crackers, etc...) after having not had it for over a year and a half. I also added in other grains, legumes, and very starchy veggies like yams and potatoes. Also meat substitutes that were either gluten or soy based. I think I was low on B12 for sure and did start supplementing it. Interestingly, I ate fewer actual veggies on the plant-based diet because once I allowed the Carb Monster back into my life, it really took over and I just wanted carbs all the time. So I am sure I was low on other vitamins and minerals as well. I'll look up that book.

@nvmomketo -- I'm sorry that going keto hasn't helped your thyroid function. I don't know whether it will help mine or not. I am hoping it will though. I guess onw benefit to eating keto is that it will help keep weight down, because I am definitely starting to put on the pounds again now. I did hit my goal weight last year but that is slipping away.

I think for now I am going to get back to LCHF (automatically gluten free), stick with my meds and hope for the best, and wait to be tested for Hashimoto's. Hopefully this will be a step in the right direction.

baconslave

Just to add the nerd factor...
The reason gluten is bad because once it gets in the bloodstream, after it permeates your gut lining, is something called molecular mimicry. Parts of gluten, when improperly broken down (which happens a lot since we can't digest it well) looks like thyroid tissue. So when it gets in the blood, the immune system reacts to the gluten as an invader (and it REMEMBERS. It's the only food that the body develops a intolerance-memory of, so intolerance sticks forever). Once the body identifies that gluten snip as an invader, it will begin to target the thyroid tissues that have a similar structure. That's what happens in over 50% of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

And also, once you're glutened, it takes 3-6 months for the inflammatory cascade to heal and stop. Sucks.

And more tangental nerd stuff. If thyroid stuff isn't fixed, it might be a trickle down from adrenal dysfunction (or HPA-axis dysfunction.) I've heard several people mention that if the adrenal balance is off, thyroid issues won't be resolved until that is addressed.

KnitOrMiss

@looking4better - there is a HUGE difference between the allowable normal ranges for thyroid tests - and the therapeutic/optimal levels where people feel best. My endo said that my TSH should be below 2, preferably 1.5 or a little lower. My Free T3 was 2.9 pg/mL - still at the middle-ish part of the range (whatever it was, he said that I had "room" to , and I was still feeling not my best, so he increased that med, as well as my base T4 med, as my TSH had gone up rather than down... I forget the levels, but I wanna say that FT4 should be 1 or lower, and FT3 should be under 2.5 for optimal? I'll look up to verify.

As for the side effects, I would definitely ask about either a T3 only medication (Cytomel is a common one) or a NDT - Naturally Dessicated Thyroid medication. Levo is fully synthetic. It could also be one of the inactive ingredients that vary in the brand of generic medication. You might try the actual brand name Synthroid, as the ingredients are typically very specific, and it is the inactive ingredients that tend to cause a lot of side effects in generics. Looks like it could be related to B12 and/or Folate deficiencies - or B-Complex deficiencies masked by higher doses of other B's, too...

https://healthunlocked.com/thyroiduk/posts/130769777/headaches-nausea-am-i-taking-too-much-levothyroxine

One other thing that came up on the forum is that you need to take the Levo at least 2 hours away from any other food and supplements, especially if you get headaches, as there are a TON of co-morbidity factors... Most meds say 1 hour away from most things, but 2-4 hours away from calcium and iron... Are you taking it stand alone with water?

But hypo and hyper can share symtpoms, and hashi's is swinging back and forth, usually. There are 2-3 antibodies tests you should have to rule out Hashi's, Graves', etc. Even auto-immune hypothyroidism should be treated differently than non-auto-immune.

KnitOrMiss

Yup - I'm looking in the adrenal-thyroid connection HOT AND HEAVY right now myself!!! Thanks for the reminder, @baconslave!

emaline2210

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

Yup - I'm looking in the adrenal-thyroid connection HOT AND HEAVY right now myself!!! Thanks for the reminder, @baconslave!

Me too! I started taking adrenal support about 3 weeks ago and had significant improvement within 10 minutes of my first dose. I'm really looking forward to what my blood work tomorrow says.

baconslave

I've been having symptoms of Sjogren's Syndrome for a year. (Dry body syndrome...chronic fatigue, dry eyes, sinuses, mouth and etc.)
I've been taking an adrenal support blend for about 2 weeks and my eyes are now making some tears during the day (not at night when I really need it but I'm hoping I'll get there eventually) and I have a runny nose. I hadn't had one at all for a year even with seasonal allergies. Just scratchy throat, itchy eyes, and sinus headache.

53YOWM

Folks who are hypothyroid should try to avoid Cruciferous vegetables:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruciferous_vegetables

OTOH, iodine-rich food such as seaweed (seriously) might help. Good luck!

KnitOrMiss

@53YOWM - Most of this has been debunked. "reasonable amounts" of cruciferous veggies, preferably cooked, but even raw, will not have much effect versus the benefits to the average person or thyroid patient. Juicing and drinking daily raw kale and such created a fear response on this issue, but a portion of one or more a day is moderately reasonable. Now don't go eating 2-3 pounds of raw bok choy a day, that would be bad!

http://wellnessmama.com/37222/thyroid-problems-cruciferous-vegetables/
http://www.endocrineweb.com/conditions/hypothyroidism/news-update-can-kale-cause-hypothyroidism
https://www.drfuhrman.com/learn/library/articles/97/do-cruciferous-vegetables-or-soybeans-harm-the-thyroid
http://www.drweil.com/diet-nutrition/food-safety/is-broccoli-bad-for-the-thyroid/
https://www.verywell.com/all-about-goitrogens-3233164

EDITED TO ADD: I think someone suffering a goiter or struggling to get their condition under control might have to be more careful, but most people don't have to worry about it without other intervening factors.

nvmomketo

KnitOrMiss wrote: »

Yup - I'm looking in the adrenal-thyroid connection HOT AND HEAVY right now myself!!! Thanks for the reminder, @baconslave!

Oh yes. This was me.
It took a year of being GF for my autoantibodies to finally fall back to normal. Blech. And then my adrenal function was low. Not horribly low but not normal. I took steroids for a year to bring it up. For me it was a mistake. That set off my insulin resistance so I dropped the steroids... Still left with the IR though.

And then I found LCHF, so here I am.

canadjineh

I've been GF for so long and never had a prob with thyroid and ended up trying adrenal support supplements/regimen for a while but it did nothing, so I guess my thyroid autoimmune issues are really all about my other autoimmune problems. 'The Continuing Stooooory...' LCHF didn't really make any diff for me (but you all know how it is n=1).

canadjineh

re: Iodine supplementation w/o selenium: lifeextension.com/protocols/metabolic-health/thyroid-regulation/page-08
jeffreydachmd.com/hashimotos-selenium-and-iodine-part-two/