Vitamin D Deficiency And Hashimoto's Disease

Hashimoto's disease, or Hashimoto's thyroiditis, is a chronic inflammation of your thyroid gland caused by the production of antibodies within your body that injure the cells of your thyroid, leading to hypothyroidism. Hashimoto's thyroiditis is often associated with other autoimmune conditions such as type 1 diabetes, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Vitamin D deficiency may play a role in the genesis of autoimmune diseases, including Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Vitamin D Receptors

While vitamin D's role in calcium metabolism and bone development is well known, vitamin D's physiologic activities extend far beyond skeletal health. A January 2011 review in "Experimental Dermatology" reported that vitamin D receptors, or VDRs, are found in nearly every cell in your body, and the stimulation of these receptors is critical for normal cellular metabolism. Thus, vitamin D deficiency could interfere with the function of many tissues and organ systems including your immune system.

Immune Regulation

The May 2011 issue of "Expert Review of Clinical Immunology" notes that vitamin D deficiency increases your risk for developing autoimmune disorders and suggests that vitamin D supplementation could help treat and prevent some of these conditions. By stimulating VDRs in your immune cells, vitamin D "down-regulates" the immune responses that trigger autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel diseases and lupus. Further, vitamin D helps suppress production of "autoantibodies," which are responsible for triggering Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

Deficiency Widespread

According to a May 2011 article in "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition" at least 25 percent of Canadian citizens do not meet the recommended dietary intake for vitamin D, and many are vitamin-D deficient, particularly during the winter when sunlight exposure is low. In his book, "Staying Healthy with Nutrition," Dr. Elson Haas reports a similar problem in the United States. Thus, vitamin D deficiency -- and the consequent risk for autoimmune diseases -- is common even in developed countries.

Considerations

Vitamin D deficiency is common in some populations, mainly due to inadequate dietary intake and limited sunlight exposure. Vitamin D is found naturally in very few foods. Foods containing vitamin D include some fatty fish and eggs from hens that have been fed vitamin D. Autoimmune diseases, such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, occur more frequently in individuals whose serum vitamin D levels are below normal; people with autoimmune disorders are often vitamin D deficient. The recommended dietary intake for vitamin D varies from 400 IU daily for infants to 800 IU for adults over 70 years of age. Ask your physician if you could benefit from taking a vitamin D supplement.