Your Thyroid – the Power Gland

by admin | Oct 9, 2022 | Digestion, Gut health, Hormones, Menopause, Microbiome, Nutrition, Perimenopause, Stress, Women's Health

What is the thyroid

The thyroid is a pretty little butterfly shaped gland in the centre of the throat and is an important part of the endocrine system. In fact don’t let its smallness fool you – this little gland is a powerhouse!

Endocrine is the technical term for ‘hormone system’ and the thyroid makes thyroid hormone which is specifically responsible for ‘metabolism’ (how your body makes and uses energy) this affects how your heart beats, your skin, your digestion, your mood, your reproduction and your weight. Every cell in your body needs thyroid hormone to function which is why when there is a problem with the thyroid it affects your whole body. It’s why we need to take care of it now.

How does thyroid get made?

Remember hormones are ‘messengers’ for the body and like most hormones there is a cascade of events that happens before an action occurs

A gland in the brain called the hypothalamus releases a hormone called TSH Releasing Hormone (TRH)
TRH travels to another part of the brain called the pituitary gland which, when TRH knocks at the door, starts to produce another hormone called Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH).
TSH then travels to the thyroid itself and encourages thyroid to produce a hormone called T4 which then changes to T3…
When the levels of T3 and T4 start dropping then TSH increases, when they are at a good level then TSH drops, if they are too high then TSH can drop to very low levels.
T3 and T4 are then released into the bloodstream and travel to the cells all over our body and help those cells make energy. T3 (also known as triiodothyronine) is considered to be the active form of thyroid hormone is converted from T4 (also known as thyroxine)

I think of the thyroid like a school bunsen burner, when it’s turned on the fluid in the test tube bubbles away – but you don’t want to turn it up too much or too low. It’s the pituitary gland’s role to make sure the bunsen burner is at just the right temperature.

What can go wrong and why

Sometimes the thyroid can make too much thyroid hormone which is known as hyperthyroidism. This basically speeds up lots of processes and functions in the body so you may lose lots of weight, get diarrhoea, have issues with your skin, get palpitations and a faster heart rate and can have problems sleeping.

This is much less common than hypothyroidism. This is when the thyroid doesn’t make enough thyroid hormone. Which slows everything down. This is much more common, especially in women. According to the American Thyroid Association 1 in 8 women will experience a thyroid disorder at some point in their life and around 60% will not even know.

There are many reasons including autoimmune factors, medications or damage from surgery or radiation. One of the most common reasons is diet and specific nutrients (iron, iodine, selenium and tyrosine are fundamental for thyroid hormone production). Stress and inflammation can also play a role.

Signs and Symptoms of Hyperthoidism

Irritability and restlessness
Problems sleeping
Increased sweating and feeling hot
Diarrhoea (loose or frequent bowel motions)
Thin and shiny skin
Brittle hair and nails
Increased appetite
Weight loss
Anxiety
Shaking
Increased heart rate (feeling of a ‘racing heart’ or palpitations)
Weak muscles
Unable to ovulate, irregular cycles, amenorrhoea (periods stop)
Goitre (swollen thyroid)

Signs and Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Fatigue
Feeling cold
Poor memory
Constipation
Dry skin and hair
Depression and flat moods
Weight gain
Joint pain and stiffness
Weak muscles
Slowed heart rate and low blood pressure
Heavy and irregular menses and irregular cycles
Problems conceiving
Goitre (swollen thyroid)

The Menstrual Cycle

Irregular periods, heavy periods, not ovulating, sore breasts, PMS, ovarian cysts, infertility, endometriosis and PCOS can all be associated with thyroid dysfunction. (1-3)

There are a few reasons for this.

Thyroid hormone is important for follicle development in the ovaries. When there is a lack of thyroid hormone it can prevent ovulation from occurring which can result in low progesterone.
A lack of thyroid hormone can reduce sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) causing an increase in oestrogen and too much thyroid hormone can increase SHBG which can lower oestrogen.
A lack of thyroid hormone may prevent the healthy detoxification of oestogen causing higher amounts.
A lack of thyroid hormone can also affect our insulin sensitivity, which is associated with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Thyroid hormone is required to coagulate blood, so when there is too much coagulation factors are increased which may cause lighter periods and the opposite is true when there is not enough. (4)

Gut Health

Research is starting to suggest a thyroid-gut axis. Some of the T4 gets converted into T3 through the work of an enzyme called intestinal sulfatase which is produced by our gut bacteria. Any imbalance (dysbiosis) can reduce this conversion leading to lower amounts of the active thyroid hormone. Dysbiosis can also create inflammation and intestinal permeability (aka ‘leaky gut’).

Bile, made by our liver and stored by our gallbladder is reduced when there are low amounts of thyroid hormone. Decreased bile can impair our digestion and nutrients absorption. Specific nutrients such as iodine, zinc, selenium and iron are fundamental for thyroid function. A vicious cycle can occur where low thyroid hormone causes decreased bile which can prevent nutrient absorption and dysbiosis, decreased bile can also cause dysbiosis or SIBO which can lead to nutrient absorption which can lead to low thyroid hormone….and so on…

Thyroid hormone also affects our motility and transit time (the time is takes for food to travel through out gut) so low thyroid hormone slows that transit time and high amounts increases transit time. (5-6)

What can I do to support my thyroid

Diet:

There are several nutrients that are absolutely essential for the production of thyroid hormone. The thyroid gland takes iodine found in food and uses it to make thyroid hormones both T3 and T4. In fact, the thyroid cells are the only cells in the body that absorb iodine. They use iodine and tyrosine (an amino acid) and iron to make both T3 and T4. Zinc and selenium are required to turn T4 into the active form T3. So making sure that you are eating enough foods containing these nutrients are really important. Eating a wholefood diet is important and making sure you have a good amount of seafood, seaweed, dairy and eggs.

If you have hypo or hyperthyroidism then please get advice from a qualified nutritionist, dietician or naturopath as supplementing with foods or eating too much of a specific food (soy or brassica veggies) may exacerbate your condition. Just to be clear, eating soy and brassica veggies are important foods for healthy people.

There is no specific hypo or hyperthyroid diet but a study in 2019 recommended the following for those with Hashimoto’s:

Vegetables should be consumed several times a day
Calcium rich foods (dairy, green veggies) should be consumed several times a day
Fruit should be consumed once a day
Wholegrains should be consumed once a day. There is some suggestion that a gluten free diet may be beneficial due to the association with celiac disease. Gluten may also exacerbate inflammation which can affect thyroid function. Whilst there is no definitive recommendation I personally believe that it’s worth considering a gluten free diet.
Foods rich in selenium, iron and zinc including animal products, nuts and seeds. Tyrosine intake can be supported by the consumption of pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and almonds.
It is recommended that sugar rich foods, sugar sweetened beverages, junk food and alcohol be avoided
Raw brassica veggies should be eaten once a week.
Soy foods are recomended to be consumed once a month despite the potential human health benefits of soy in the prevention of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, the reduction of menopause symptoms, increased bone-mineral density, and decreased insulin resistance. It is important to note that iodine deficiency and soy consumption is the problem rather than soy foods on their own. (7)

Stress:

The stress hormone cortisol when in high amounts can interfere with thyroid hormone production and put pressure on the thyroid to create more, it can also convert the active hormone T3 into a hibernation form called Reverse T3. A study in 2004 also found that stress is an important risk factor for thyroid autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s disease. (8)

What should I do if I think I have a problem

I highly recommend you visit your GP and ask to be tested. The main test is for TSH but that is really only 1 piece of the puzzle ideally you would also test for T3 and T4. These are simple blood tests. You can test for iodine but it’s not considered particularly accurate. A pharmaceutical version of thyroid hormone (T4) may be given.

Tips to support your thyroid function to prevent dysfunction

It’s crucial that you learn to manage your stress. Find what works for you – schedule some time for rest and fun, learning breathing techniques, mindfulness practices, take time out to be in nature etc. Exercise is important for managing stress but be aware too much can increase our stress levels and raise cortisol.

Get a good night’s sleep. This ensures your body has the time needed to recover and rejuvenate so you can cope with the stress. Make sure you leave at least 3 hours between your last meal and bed, turn off your devices 2 hours before bed, give your body the signal to wind down and get ready for bed 1 hour before bed. Have your room nice and dark so the moon or LED lights or your mobile don’t interfere with your sleep.

Ensure you are eating a healthy diet. Make sure your diet is a good mix of whole foods, veggies, fruit, protein, fat and healthy carbs, nuts and seeds…you know what I mean. You need to be eating enough protein, iron, iodine, selenium and zinc rich foods and good amounts of fibre and probiotic rich for a healthy gut. Eating a box of Ceres Seaweed will give you your recommended daily amount of iodine. 2 Brazil nuts/day will give you the recommended daily amount of selenium.

Get your gut sorted. If you have any gut symptoms then get this addressed. Your gut is the seat of all health and this should be your first step to whole body health.

References

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