gluten free or paleo for hypothyroidism?

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AKNMHunt
AKNMHunt Posts: 168 Member
in Food and Nutrition
My son was recently diagnosed and we are working toward treatment. When we go to his appointment in a couple days i am going to ask about a recommended diet.

I had read both gluten free and paleo have been said to help but I cannot find any medical advice, just personal stories.

Are there any reputable sources from a medical standpoint that discuss the benefits of a specific nutritional side for this?

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  • AKNMHunt
    AKNMHunt Posts: 168 Member
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    Anyone?
  • SteampunkSongbird
    SteampunkSongbird Posts: 826 Member
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    I'm certainly no expert, but I can share my experience if it makes any difference; I have hypothyroidism, and am gluten-free due to having coeliac disease. One auto-immune condition often goes hand in hand with another, unfortunately. Being gluten-free stops the coeliac symptoms - I can't even tell you how much better I feel being GF after years of terrible stomach pain (I was only diagnosed in November 2012) - but the diet didn't appear to have any effect on my thyroid problem. I was still feeling very lethargic, weak and dizzy for months despite going gluten-free and losing the gut pain I had, I had thought those other symptoms would've gone away too as they can also be symptoms of coeliac, but they persisted, so I went back to the doc and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I was prescribed levothyroxine, and I no longer have dizzy spells and I'm much less weak too. I can only assume your son will be prescribed this drug, or maybe something similar more geared towards children.
  • MJ_Watson
    MJ_Watson Posts: 180 Member
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    I'm not sure how helpful this is, but I've been very successful manging my thyroid levels and losing weight with the help of proper medication without any special diet. I have heard that lowering carbs helps some (I usually end up eating a moderate carb diet myself), which I would think to be easier than a relatively more extreme diet change like Paleo or GF. But I agree with asking your Dr. (When I was diagnosed, I know mine put me on a protein sparing modified fast to get weight down... Which I gave up on due to it being so restrictive. So take that as you will.) Most important is going to be getting the meds right. Good luck! I wish you and your son all the best through this tough period of adjustment!
  • thatredheadedBAMF
    thatredheadedBAMF Posts: 25 Member
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    I had success lowering my carbs as well and sticking to as much real, fresh food as possible. I was also insulin resistant at the time, so this made sense for me, but no doctor told me to do it. I figured it out on my own and I lost nearly 100 pounds after being diagnosed hypo and after I later had my thyroid removed due to cancer. Don't bother asking your doctor; they receive very little training concerning proper nutrition unless they have a whole other degree (some do- MS in Clinical Nutrition is one) in the topic.

    You will only get a recommendation of gluten free from a doctor if they have test results showing it is necessary, i.e. as a solution for a problem. Paleo does not treat any disease so you will not receive a recommendation for it. Unfortunately, it is trial and error. I've been in the hypothyroid community online for ten years now, seen many endocrinologists, and I can tell you that there is no medically-sanctioned "thyroid diet."
  • AKNMHunt
    AKNMHunt Posts: 168 Member
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    I've been in the hypothyroid community online for ten years now, seen many endocrinologists, and I can tell you that there is no medically-sanctioned "thyroid diet."
    That's what I was trying to find. He is 5.5 and the problem is that he has stopped gaining weight, which I know is typically hyper instead of hypo, but his levels say hypo.

    He doesnt have any other symptoms that would suggest Celiac.
  • thatredheadedBAMF
    thatredheadedBAMF Posts: 25 Member
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    You can lose your appetite with hypo and actually lose weight as well. Is he eating? Does he have some favorite foods you can make/ buy that might encourage him to eat more? I would try that first, then mention the weight loss issue to his doctor. Good luck!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    My son was recently diagnosed and we are working toward treatment. When we go to his appointment in a couple days i am going to ask about a recommended diet.

    Just wait a couple days for advice from the physician familiar with your son's case.

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