Your thyroid gland is located in the front of your neck just below your Adams apple. The thyroid's main function is to take iodine and convert it into thyroid hormones, but the bottom line is that every cell in your body depends upon thyroid hormones to regulate their metabolism. Thyroid diseases can lead to fatigue, depression, weight gain and a host of other symptoms, one reason many companies have created over-the-counter so-called thyroid supplements, but their claims are primarily unscientific and unsubstantiated. There are a few naturally occurring vitamins and minerals that may help, but if you have been diagnosed with thyroid disease, you should first check with your doctor before taking any of them, especially if you're on thyroid medications.
Amino Acids
Thyroid hormone is essentially the amino acid tyrosine with iodine attached. Studies have demonstrated how important amino acid metabolism is for healthy thyroid functioning, such as one at Spain's Universidad de Vigo in 2000, which tested several different free-form amino acids and found that they were crucial in regulating hormone secretion from the both the pituitary and thyroid glands.
Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids, or EFAs, include omega-3 acids that come from foods such as green leafy vegetables, flaxseeds and cold-water fish species and omega-6 acids found in seeds, nuts and some animals. Dr. Udo Erasmus, author of Fats and Oils, believes that EFAs are critical for a healthy thyroid because they increase cell energy levels and improve the efficiency of hormones on the receptor sites. Certain types of thyroid disease are a product of inflammation, and EFAs have been shown in various studies to help lower inflammatory levels in the body.
Guggul
Two small research studies on mice in India, one published in Planta Medica in 1984 and the other in Phytotherapy Research in 2005, found that the herb guggul may hold promise for helping hypothyroid patients by stimulating thyroid function. These studies are still preliminary, and again, you should check with your doctor first before adding such a supplement to your regimen.
Iodine
Iodine is the most essential trace element required for thyroid hormone production, and a deficiency can lead to thyroid disorders. However, not only is it difficult to measure iodine levels in the blood accurately, too much iodine can cause thyroid disease. In 1988, the journal Metabolism published a study examining the effects of dietary iodine supplements on patients with thyroid disease and found that very small doses didn't seem to affect thyroid disease one way or the other, in general. However, in some cases, even small doses induced both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, making it difficult to define an upper limit of normal for daily iodine intake.
Multivitamin
Dr. Richard Shames and Dr. Karilee Shames believe that if they don't take anything else, thyroid patients need to take a potent multivitamin with minerals along with a couple of grams of vitamin C each day, provided it's a high quality supplement such as the types found in health food stores. Some national drug-store brands may not have full potency or the bioavailability that people with thyroid conditions need.
Selenium and Zinc
Selenium and zinc are two minerals crucial for healthy thyroid function and to promote immune function. A study published in the journal Thyroid in 2002 showed that selenium deficiency may contribute to development of a form of heart disease, hypothyroidism, and a weakened immune system. Researchers involved in the Supplementation en Vitamins et Mineraux Antioxydants study in France in 2003 found that selenium supplements may be protective against goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland.
Vitamins C, D and E
Several studies, such as research conducted by endocrinologist Dr. Theodore Friedman, have found a correlation between thyroid patients and low levels of vitamin D. Newer research has suggested that the antioxidant vitamins C and E help reduce the oxidative stress caused by hypothyroidism, reduce proliferation of goiter cells and thyroid auto-antibodies, and that a cocktail of vitamins C and E and turmeric extract was found to reduce hypothyroidism in animals.
References
- Thyroid Info: Top 5 Supplements for Thyroid Support
- "Metabolism": The Effect of Small Increases in Dietary Iodine on Thyroid Function in Euthyroid Subjects
- National Institutes of Health Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Selenium
- "Phytotherapy Research": Guggulu (Commiphora mukul) potentially ameliorates hypothyroidism in female mice
- "Planta Medica": Thyroid Stimulating Action of Z-Guggulsterone Obtained from Commiphora mukul.
