Hyperthyroid & Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D is often included in multivitamins, one that you need on a daily basis. Vitamin D is known as the "sunshine vitamin" because it is created by the body in response to sun exposure. It is a fat-soluble vitamin created in your body when you are exposed to sunlight. It can also be found in egg yolk, fish, fish oil, some cheeses, beef liver and some types of grain.

Vitamin D Function

A healthy intake of vitamin D assists your body in using calcium and phosphorus from your food and regulates normal cellular differentiation. This can help to prevent cancer and help in insulin secretion.

Vitamin D Deficiency

Vitamin D deficiency symptoms include depression, heart disease, weight loss, diabetes, stroke, chronic fatigue and osteoporosis. A vitamin D deficiency is related to rickets, which is a bone disease that results when calcium cannot be incorporated into the bones, making them less dense and fragile. Left untreated, this condition can lead to serious skeletal deformities.

Causes of Vitamin D Deficiency

Limited sunlight exposure can cause a vitamin D deficiency. The remedy to this, of course, is to get out in the sun for a few minutes each day to allow your skin to absorb the sunlight. Another cause of vitamin D deficiency is not getting enough from foods. This can mean that a supplement may be called for, or you may need to add a few of the aforementioned foods back into your diet. If you have dark skin, the extra melanin in your skin will reduce your skin's ability to produce vitamin D.

Hyperthyroidism Identified

Hyperthyroidism, also known as an overactive thyroid, is a condition in which the thyroid gland secretes too much of the thyroid hormone. The causes of this condition include getting too much iodine, inflammation of the thyroid because of a viral infection, Graves disease, tumors of the testes or ovaries or benign growths on the thyroid or pituitary gland. Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty concentrating, frequent bowel movements, goiter, increased appetite and increased sweating.

Vitamin D Deficiency and Hyperthyroidism

According to the "Journal of Clinical Densitometry," a study was conducted to measure the bone mineral density of 30 patients who were newly diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. The study found that patients who had hyperthyroidism and a vitamin D deficiency may display a decrease in bone mineral density, or lower bone mass and more brittle bones. Although a correlation was found between the two, no further research to find out why the correlation exists was done.

An article written by Dr. Theo Friedman, a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid and adrenal diseases, also reports that low levels of vitamin D may lead to the bone density problems related to hypothyroidism. It is thought that either the body does not absorb enough vitamin D, or the body does not activate the vitamin D it does absorb.

Both vitamin D and the thyroid hormone bind to similar steroid hormone receptors. In the vitamin D receptor, explains Dr. Friedman, is a different gene that has been shown to predispose people to autoimmune thyroid diseases such as Graves' disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. More research is needed, however, to clarify whether or not a vitamin D deficiency is the cause or the effect of an overactive thyroid.