22/09/2018
Vitamin D Deficiency: How Is It Connected to your Thyroid problems
Recent research on the connection between Hashimoto’s and vitamin D deficiency might give you a good reason to spend more time in the sun. It’ll also encourage you to take your vitamin D supplements regularly. Taking vitamin D and thyroid medication will help optimize your thyroid treatment. It’s also possible that there is a relation between the severity of vitamin D deficiency and the progression of thyroid damage. That means it’s even more important that you get the vitamin D you need.
How Vitamin D Deficiency Affects Your Thyroid Health
1. Low Vitamin D Triggers Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis
Low Vitamin D Triggers Hashimoto's Thyroiditis | Vitamin D Deficiency: How Is It Connected to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?
Vitamin D plays an important role in regulating our immune system. Research has established a direct relationship between vitamin D deficiency and autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis and Type 1 Diabetes. Now, researchers in Turkey have compelling evidence that a deficiency in vitamin D might lead to the development of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism in the United States.
2. Vitamin D and Anti-Thyroid Antibodies
Vitamin D and Anti-Thyroid Antibodies | Vitamin D Deficiency: How Is It Connected to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?
Researchers also found that levels of vitamin D 25-hydroxy were directly related to the size of the thyroid. Patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis often experience swelling in the thyroid, known as a goiter. The study also showed that levels of anti-TPO and anti-TG were directly related to vitamin D 25-hydroxy levels. The lower the vitamin D 25-hydroxy levels, the higher the anti-thyroid antibodies.
3. Children May Be More Prone to Hashimoto’s
Children May Be More Prone to Hashimoto's | Vitamin D Deficiency: How Is It Connected to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?
Researchers investigated vitamin D levels in children with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. They found that children with Hashimoto’s had a significantly higher rate of vitamin D deficiency — 73.1%, compared to healthy children, at 17.6%. According to their study, children with lower levels of vitamin D 25-hydroxy were also shown to have higher levels of anti-TPO. From the results of the study, researchers concluded that vitamin D deficiency might play a role in the autoimmune process of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in children.
4. An Optimal Thyroid Treatment with Vitamin D
An Optimal Thyroid Treatment with Vitamin D | Vitamin D Deficiency: How Is It Connected to Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?
You can also obtain Vitamin D through foods. Here are some things you can add to your diet to boost your vitamin D:
Cod liver oil
Fatty fish
Beef liver
Oysters
Eggs
Mushrooms
Fortified cereals
Dairy
Soy products
However, the best way to get enough vitamin D is to take supplements. Scientists find that supplements containing 5,000 to 15,000 IU taken daily can make a big difference and bring your vitamin D to an optimal level.
