Bit of nutrit junk lol but good stuff, stimulates can lower thyroid so keep on top of it and you will be better off in the long run and feel better.
Iodine and Tyrosine Ð the biggest factors The two most important nutrient deficiencies associated with hypothyroidism are iodine and the amino acid Tyrosine. In this country, iodine deficiency is rare as iodine is routinely added to salt and the American diet is generally high in salt. In undeveloped countries where iodine is deficient in the soil and little fish and sea vegetables are consumed, iodine is a major cause of goiter and a form of physical and mental retardation known as Cretinism. Some 800,000,000 people worldwide suffer from iodine deficiency and goiter. The RDA for iodine is 150 mcg per day for adults age 11 and above, 175 mcg per day in pregnancy and 200 mcg during lactation. Lab tests for iodine include plasma iodine (by neutron activation analysis and urinary iodine. Hair trace mineral analysis may also be used to screen for iodine deficiency. Excess iodine may cause inhibition of TRH and TSH however. The dietary intake of iodine in the United States is estimated to be over 600 . Levels in excess of that amount are not recommended.
Tyrosine is the core of the thyroid hormone molecule. A molecule of thyroglobulin contains 134 tyrosines, although only a handful of these are actually used to synthesize T4 and T3. Deficient intake, digestion or metabolism of tyrosine may be a cause of hypothyroidism. Tyrosine is a non-essential amino acid in that it can be made from phenylalanine. However, some people have an enzyme deficiency and thus have difficulty in converting phenylalanine to tyrosine. Supplemental tyrosine may be taken in 500-1000 mg doses tid.
Mercury and Selenium
Mercury toxicity can block the conversion of T4 to T3. Similarly Selenium deficiency will also prevent the conversion of T4 to T3. Selenium is a chelator of mercury and can be used with dimercaptosuccinic acid to remove mercury toxicity from the body.
Zinc
Zinc supplementation re-established normal thyroid function in hypothyroid disabled patients treated with anti-convulsants. In a study, 9 of 13 patients with low free T3 and normal T4 had mild to moderate zinc deficiency. After oral supplementation with zinc sulfate (4-6 mg/kg body weight for 12 months), levels of serum free T3 and T3 normalized, serum rT3 decreased and TRH induced TSH reaction normalized. Since copper exerts an antagonistic role, high copper may inhibit thyroid hormone activity. A study of fourteen pre-adolescent hypothyroid patients and a similar number of controls for serum zinc levels revealed zinc levels were significantly lower in the hypothyroid children before supplementation with thyroxine. The authors suggest that there is an association with zinc deficiency and thyroid function. A study of twelve hyperthyroid and seven hypothyroid patients relative to zinc tolerance found that high levels of zinc excretion were observed in hyperthyroid cases and zinc deficiency was observed in hypothyroid patients leading the authors to conclude that zinc levels were a marker of thyroid function. Zinc and thyroid hormone levels both decline with age and may be related. Children's with Down's syndrome have many symptoms in common with hypothyroidism and are also commonly deficient in zinc, suggesting an association.
Protein and liver disease
Protein deficiency, starvation, cirrhosis or other liver disease can reduce the amount of transport proteins available to carry the T4 to the cell. In the case of liver disease, overall nutrition and specifically, glutathione may be helpful in promoting normal liver function.
Krebs cycle nutrients
At the level of cellular utillization, CoEnzyme Q10, magnesium and B vitamins may be helpful as they play roles in the Krebs cycle. B vitamins might have more direct roles as well. In animals, B12 deficiency is associated with slight reduction of type I 5'-deiodinase activity and with significant reduction in serum T3. In a study of fifty-two patients under psychiatric care for B-vitamin deficiencies, it was observed that in the female patients where there was depression and a low thyroid index, there was also a deficiency of vitamin B2.
On the other hand, extreme doses of niacin (mean 2.6 grams daily for an average duration of 1.3 years) revealed significant decreases in serum T4, T3 and TBG with no alterations in free T4 and TSH levels. Similarly, lipoic acid taken with T4 resulted in a 57% reduction in the expected rise in T3 values in just 9 days, suggesting that lipoic acid should not be taken with exogenous T4. Vitamins C and E only improved hepatic 5' Ðdeiodinization in conditions of increased lipid peroxidation due to heavy metal toxicity.
Foods to avoid
Thiocyanate glucosides, substances found in vegetables from the cabbage (brassica) family, have an antagonistic effect on the binding of iodine in the thyroid. Persons with hypothryoidism would do well to limit consumption of raw brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, broccoli and cauliflower. Cooking negates this effect. Soy isoflavones also appear to exert a negative effect on thyroid hormone activity. Animals fed soy protein experienced a decline in T4, free T4 and T3 while experiencing an increase in r-T3. In one study, 37 healthy adults consumed 30 grams of soybeans for 1-3 months. They experienced significantly increased TSH levels and hypometabolic symptoms suggestive of functional thyroid hormone deficiency (malaise, constipation, sleepiness). Goiters appeared in half the subjects. Symptoms disappeared after one month cessation of soy ingestion.
