Vitamin Deficiency and Your Thyroid

Feb 27, 2020

Vitamins are essential in maintaining your thyroid health.

alt taghashimotosHowever, many patients suffer from any thyroid disorder are often found to be vitamin deficient. A few symptoms of thyroid disorders include hair loss, loss of energy, sudden weight gain and difficulty in losing it, dry skin, constipation, and increases in cholesterol.

Your thyroid is mainly responsible for producing or discharging hormones that help regulate the rest of your body. Here is a general explanation for how your thyroid and hormones work together. Your body contains a TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) that is usually measured by your doctor when you go to get a thyroid checkup. The TSH comes from your brain and goes to your thyroid glands, signaling them to produce T4, which is also known as your inactive thyroid hormone. The T4 travels within your tissues and your bloodstream until it gets converted into T3, which is your active thyroid hormone. Then T3 gets into your cells to reach your nuclear receptor to increase your metabolism.

The vitamins that are found to be most deficient among patients who suffer from any thyroid disorder, are vitamins B-12, D, A, B2, and C. The deficiency of vitamin D is found to be the one of the most influential in thyroid disorders.

Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory properties that help increase the flexibility of your immune system. Therefore, if the levels of vitamin D in your body get seriously low, you may fall prey to autoimmune thyroid disease, also known as AITD.

Vitamin D is also critical in helping insulin resistance, which can adversely affect your thyroid physiology. Furthermore, vitamin D also plays a huge role in balancing the TH1 cells and the TH2 cells of your immune system by affecting the TH3 cells, which are responsible for the growth of differentiation and expression between your TH1 and TH2 cells. In short, a vitamin D deficiency can be a big problem.

A deficiency in Vitamin A limits your body’s ability to produce TSH, which is essential for converting T4 into T3 and can disrupt your entire metabolic process. It can also lead to bad eyesight.

Deficiencies in vitamins B1, B6, C, and E can lead to an overactive thyroid, which weakens the muscles. Vitamin C is also responsible for keeping your thyroid healthy; if your body remains deficient in vitamin C for too long, it can cause your thyroid to produce too much hormone. This is the same with vitamin E, too, but a deficiency in vitamin E can also cause your body to produce less TSH, which, as mentioned earlier, disrupts your whole system. If your body lacks vitamin B6, it will not be able to use iodine as its raw material in producing or discharging hormones. Deficiencies in vitamin B2 suppresses the functioning of your thyroid and it fails to produce hormones.

Last but, not the least, a weak thyroid cannot absorb vitamin B12, which may result in various neurological problems like neuritis, neuralgia, bursitis, and various mental illnesses. A deficiency in vitamin B12 can also cause and worsen Hypothyroidism, which is a deficiency in thyroid hormones.

Vitamins are important players in your body’s overall functioning. Find out what your baseline should be and talk with your doctor about supplements or vitamins to ensure you are getting all the vitamins your body needs to stay healthy!

Recent Posts

Archives

well humans logo

Fix Your Gut and Feel Your Best

carla alpert functional medicine practitioner

Hello and Welcome! My name is Carla Alpert, and I’m a Board Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach and Diagnostic Practitioner, focusing on the gut and how it affects your overall health. Think of me as a health detective and wellness coach working in partnership with you to restore your health. We work together to uncover the contributing factors to your chronic symptoms, to eat well, sleep well, move more and stress less.

I love the GI MAP test because it helps my clients and I discover gut dysfunction that may be contributing to daily digestive issues as well as other chronic symptoms like anxiety, fatigue and brain fog. I created this GI MAP Coaching Package to help you stop struggling with your health and get back to living your best life.

functional medicine health coaching logos

What Clients Are Saying

Carla really helped me to figure out my gut pain and issues after so many years. I finally feel like I have energy and clarity around my health! She was so easy to talk to and helped me discover problem areas that were causing me so much distress, when no other doctors could help.
VICTORIA

Well Humans changed my life. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis accompanied by chronic hives. It sprang up out of nowhere and caused bizarre “food allergies” that I’d never had before. Because of Carla’s coaching and dietary recommendations as well as GI Map testing, I can happily say that I am now symptom-free, and I have been in remission for over a year now. All of the doctors I saw told me I would have to deal with my symptoms because there was no cure, but here I am, back to living a mostly normal life. I highly recommend Carla and Well Humans for anyone looking for real answers and treatments that work.
KALYN

When working with Carla, you are in capable, compassionate, knowledgeable and caring hands. Carla truly cares about your well being and wants to help you be the healthiest that you can be. My health was truly suffering and with her guidance and suggested testing, we uncovered some issues that nobody else had uncovered, despite my going to some of the top rated medical institutions. My health and pain improved greatly due to Carla’s sleuthing…she knew where to look. Through many health challenges, I was quite emotional and Carla showed me what compassion looks like. If you want to truly improve your health, start with Well Humans.
BETH

Over years, I’ve tried various “alternative” medicine as well as conventional “western” medicine approaches. Skin ailments are hard to treat – so many aspects of a life can produce skin symptoms. I enthusiastically recommend Well Humans and Carla for a simple reason – I’ve experienced sustained, substantial improvement! I have hardly ever posted a review of anything, but writing this was an easy choice to make. I wish you all the best in your journey towards better health!
JON

I searched the U.S. to find someone who does what Carla does. Carla has used her knowledge, support and expertise to optimize my health and well-being with a blend of scientific medical tests, supplements and diet changes. I wasted a lot of time on my hunches, the internet and experiments with supplements and food and NOW i have an actual plan. Superb supportive knowledge and guidance. I highly recommend Carla. Grateful.
LISA

I never knew that I had a gluten allergy and intolerance until Carla discovered it in my blood work! I’m so grateful that she made this discovery and I have been gluten free ever since. I sleep better, don’t feel bloated and have much more energy. It was a life-changing insight.
ROB

Carla is very knowledgeable and kind. She helped me navigate a health issue with grace and the utmost care. Carla goes above and beyond with her clients and I highly recommend her. She genuinely cares!
ALLISON

I have been working with Carla for quite some time and she has helped me turn my life and health around. She is non-judgmental, and always wants the best for her clients. She is extremely knowledgeable and has a fantastic bedside manner. She has truly changed my life for the better and I will always be grateful for everything she has done.
ROB

Pin It on Pinterest