Is there any obvious protection of a plant-based diet for thyroid health, for the benefits of animal foods, plant foods, or both?
Several autoimmune diseases affect the thyroid gland, with grave diseases and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis being the most common. Grave disease leads to hyperthyroidism, which is hyperthyroidism. Slaughter plants are “not used in human food,” and are supposed to remove the animal’s thyroid glands, but if the flesh in the neck slips in, they can suffer from a similar syndrome called hamburger thyroid toxinosis. But it’s not from your body, it’s making too much thyroid hormones. Rather, it’s eating too much thyroid hormones from your body. Grave diseases are much more common, and plant-based diets may be able to help both diseases, as plant-based diets may generally be associated with a low prevalence of autoimmune disease, as observed in sub-Saharan rural Africa, for example. Because plants are packed with “large amounts of antioxidants, potential protective factors against autoimmune diseases,” or because they are packed with anti-inflammatory compounds. After all, “consuming an entire plant-based food is synonymous with an anti-inflammatory diet.” But you don’t know until you put it on a test.
“We found that exclusion of all animal foods was associated with half the prevalence of hyperthyroidism compared to an omnivorous diet. The Lacto-Ovo (dairy and eggs) and the Pesco (fish) vegetarian diet were associated with intermediate protection.” However, for those who eat strictly plant-based foods, the likelihood of hyperthyroidism is 52% less.
As I explain the best diet for hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism in my video, this obvious protection could be “including animal food exclusion, the (beneficial) effects of plant foods, or animal foods like meat, eggs, or dairy products. Or maybe because a reduction in animal protein by excluding animal foods can downregulate IGF-1. This is not only a growth hormone that promotes cancer, but it can also play a role in autoimmune diseases. This protection could also come from the goodness of plants that can “protect cells from autoimmune processes,” like polyphenol plant chemicals such as flavonoids found in plant foods. Perhaps that’s because environmental toxins accumulate in the food chain. For example, fish contaminated with industrial contaminants such as PCBs are associated with an increased frequency of thyroid disorders.
But what about Hashimoto Thyroiditis, another autoimmune thyroid disease? It assumes that you are taking sufficient iodine and is the main cause of hypothyroidism. Graves’ illness was not the only autoimmune disorder rarely or virtually unknown among people living in rural sub-Saharan Africa, among those eating a near-vegan diet. They also looked less Hashimoto.
There is evidence that people with Hashimoto are impairing their antioxidant state, but it is not clear whether this is the cause or effective. However, looking at dietary factors associated with blood levels of autoimmune anti-toxic antibodies, animal fat appears to be associated with higher levels, whereas vegetables and other plant foods are associated with lower levels. So, again, an anti-inflammatory diet may be useful. Since Hashimoto is an inflammatory disease, it is not surprising that thyroiditis means. It’s thyroid inflammation.
Another possibility is that a reduced intake of methionine, an amino acid enriched in animal protein, is likely to “preferably affect lifespan by regular consumption of a whole food vegan diet by reducing the risk of cancer, coronary (heart) disease and diabetes. Methionine restriction improves thyroid function in mice, but testing for Hashimoto in humans is not yet underway.
When comparing poop in patients with Hashimoto with controls, this condition appears to be associated with a clear reduction in Priburuterra species concentration. Prevotella is a great fiber-eating bug known to increase anti-inflammatory activity. Lower Prevotella levels are also seen in other autoimmune conditions, such as multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. How do you get more Prevotella? Eat more plants. If vegetarians are on a meat, egg, or dairy diet, their levels can drop within just four days. Therefore, although Hashimoto is expected to be less plant-based diets, previous videos have expressed concern about inadequate iodine intake, which could lead to hypothyroidism. So, which is that? Let’s look into it.
“In conclusion, the vegan diet tended to be associated with a low or less high risk of hypothyroidism.” Why is it “treated”? Related protections for studies of incidence and prevalence of hypothyroidism did not reach statistical significance. It’s not just because they were slim. A lower risk was still present even after weight control. Therefore, researchers believe that it may be because animal products can induce inflammation. The question I have is, if you already have Hashimoto, what happens if they change their diet? That’s exactly what I’m exploring next.
This is the third in a 4 video series on thyroid function. The first two were vegans at risk of iodine deficiency? Friday’s Favorite: Healthiest Natural Source of Iodine.
Final Video: Diet for Hypothyroidism: Natural Treatment of Hashimoto’s Disease.
