info on hashi and diet

[Guest guest]

Hi all

I subscribe to a newsletter which sends out regular info about diet

and health. This weeks info is about Hashimotos. It might be helpful

for some of you. If you want more info about the paleo diet, check out

http://www.thepaleodiet.com/

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Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is an autoimmune disease, in which immune

cells (T-lymphocytes) mount an attack on cells of the thyroid gland,

which frequently leads to hypothyroidism1. HT is not only the most

prevalent autoimmune thyroid disease (ATD), but it is also the most

common autoimmune disease in the world, with a prevalence of 9,460 per

100,000 people1, affecting more women than men1.

As with other autoimmune diseases, part of the risk of contracting HT

is genetic1. It is the interaction between one's genotype and several

environmental factors that results in autoimmune disease. Although to

our knowledge there are no trials investigating the role of specific

diets on HT, several lines of evidence suggest that the Paleo Diet

could prove beneficial:

1. The Paleo Diet doesn't include gluten containing grains, such as

wheat, barley, rye and oats2. This is very important, since these are

the main triggers of another autoimmune disease, called celiac disease

(CD)2, 3. CD carries an increased risk for other auto-immune diseases

including ATD3-11, which may be explained by the fact that these

conditions share similar HLA haplotypes (genetic markers)12. The

association is so strong that researchers from Italy concluded that

anyone showing evidence of ATD should also be screened for CD8.

2. By being a grain and legume free diet, the Paleo Diet minimizes the

intake of certain dietary lectins that have been shown to damage

intestinal cell walls13. This damage allows passage of bacterial and

dietary proteins (such as yeast and milk proteins, which are also not

part of the Paleo Diet) into the blood stream that should not be

allowed there.

These proteins' amino acid sequences resemble amino acid sequences in

our body's organs and tissues13. Immune cells " read " the amino acid

sequences on the bacteria and dietary protein, and may begin to

associate similar self-proteins with these foreign substances, thus

attacking both the bacteria or dietary protein and our own tissues13.

Although to our knowledge there are no studies investigating this

chain of events in ATD, studies from other autoimmune diseases such as

rheumatoid arthritis13 suggests that this may also be the case with ATD.

3. The Paleo Diet decreases the Omega 6/Omega 3 ratio, which tends to

calm down inflammation14,15. The characteristic inflammation of

auto-immune diseases typically aggravates these conditions, including HT1.

4. The Paleo Diet provides a generous amount of various antioxidants16

(such as vitamins C and E, carotenoids and various phytochemicals

present in fruits and vegetables) and nutrients needed for optimal

functioning of endogenous antioxidant enzymes (such as manganese, zinc

and copper, needed for the superoxide dismutases to perform their

antioxidant functions, and selenium - Se, which maximizes glutathione

peroxidase activities ). This is important, since oxidative stress is

suspected of being involved in ATD17.

Moreover, selenium deficiency plays an important role in autoimmune

thyroid diseases18-21, such as HT22. In fact, some trials have shown

that selenium supplementation in doses higher than 100 mcg/day

decreases serum concentrations of thyroid peroxidase antibody (a

marker of ATD)20. It should be mentioned that selenium deficiency is

likely to occur in CD18, due to malabsorption, which is one of the

characteristics of these diseases. Hence there is one more reason for

ATD patients to avoid gluten-containing foods.

Importance of Vitamin D

Another important aspect for ATD patients is optimization of vitamin D

status. Vitamin D insufficiency is a common condition, but was very

rare among our hunter-gatherer ancestors living in Africa, who

received sufficient ultraviolet radiation from the sun to synthesize

all the vitamin D3 they needed.

Numerous studies show that vitamin D insufficiency can be involved in

the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases 23, such as RA, multiple

sclerosis and type 1 diabetes. As expected, preliminary research

suggests that it may also be involved in HT24,25.

Therefore, it may be worthwhile for anyone with HT or any other

autoimmune disease to measure 25OHD3 in the blood, and to try to get

the levels between 30-60 ng/ml (75-150 nmol/L)23.

If you assume that for each 40 IU of vitamin D3, you can increase

blood levels of 25OHD3 by 0.28 ng/ml (0.7 nmol/L)26 then you can

calculate how much supplemental vitamin D to take. For instance, if

your 25OHD3 level is 19 ng/ml, and you want to reach 33 ng/ml, you

could easily estimate how much Vitamin D3 you'll have to take:

(33-19)x40/0.28 = 2000 IU

Dietary Recommendations for Hashimoto's

In summary, if you have HT or another autoimmune disease (or if you

want to avoid autoimmune disease in the future), you may benefit from

adopting a Paleolithic type diet, with no grains, dairy, legumes, or

yeast containing foods. You may also want to supplement to get

adequate omega 3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA) and vitamin D3, and those

living in a region of the world where soils are depleted in

selenium27-31 may want to supplement with selenium also. Recent

research by Dr. Cordain also suggests that autoimmune patients may

wish to avoid tomatoes and egg whites, which could also be involved in

autoimmunity. Fully referenced reports on these two foods are

available in the How to Treat and Prevent M.S. with Diet program,

listed below.

References are available at http://www.ThePaleoDiet.com/v4n22.shtml.