May be a daft question but will gluten intolera... - Thyroid UK

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May be a daft question but will gluten intolerance get any better when optimally dosed on thyroid meds ?

hashiman profile image
10 Replies

Sorry if its a daft question but I have had a discussion with greygoose in another thread , today and I just thought I'd put this question out there.

I'm following a paleo diet at present and feel good although certainly not optimally dosed TSH 9.08 last blood test so now on 100 mcg Levo. I just wondered when I'm optimal will my gluten intolerance go ? I'm definitely not coeliac just have an intolerance which bloats my stomach and may fatigue me .

Thanks

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hashiman
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10 Replies

Unlikely. If you have thyroid antibodies, going gluten free (if you aren't already) may help your thyroid.

hashiman profile image
hashiman in reply to Angel_of_the_North

Hi Angel_of_the_North thanks for taking the time to reply. I'm gluten free at present and feel so much better for being so, but I just wondered as I was only intolerant to gluten would this get better when meds are optimal , I tend to agree with you that its unlikely but I can live in hope I suppose.

milupa profile image
milupa

Hi Hashiman -

my husband asks similar questions weekly! He is hypo, no Hashimoto's, not coeliac but had gluten antibodies. His desire for 'just one' baguette is ever present...

Anyway, we are both on a paleo diet but still had reactions to many foods. These have calmed down with T3 only (he) and T3/hydrocortisone (I). Suppressed THS and goodish FT3. Betaine Hydrochloride with every meal also seems to do the trick. Gut repair etc etc

I was accidentally glutened a while ago and felt awful for days. He had cake at a family do and the bloating, gas and skin reddening came back immediately.

So I guess the answer is: No!

hashiman profile image
hashiman in reply to milupa

Hi Milupa ,

Ah the smell of the bread counter at the supermarket drives me nuts ! and completely agree with your husband just one baguette would be so nice .... I seem to have loads of food sensitivities too, had them for years before diagnosed with Hashimoto's, ....so when you say these reactions calmed down for you guys with T3 were you on T4 beforehand ? because maybe then T3 would numb them down a bit ? just clutching at straws really...... I take Betaine and pepsin every meal too as well as glutamine, quercetin , probiotics , licorice root, etc etc (Dr axe leaky gut stuff really)

Sorry to hear about being glutened its terrible isnt it ?

weirdly I still get away with the odd pint of beer or two that doesn't seem to blow me up too much, fingers crossed.

Many thanks for your reply

milupa profile image
milupa in reply to hashiman

Hi - my husband says it's his saving that wine is gluten free!

So yes we were both on T4 (when finally diagnosed, the usual story). I lasted two weeks on it (cannot convert) My husband a bit longer but his rT3 shot up as did his homocysteine, so was switched to T3. We both have a long history of antibiotics etc. Felt better within days, in every aspect.

We were both deficient in B12, B6, zinc, magnesium, D3. Fully supplementing these helped both of us a lot on the bloating and general meh-feeling after food. I did AIP for a while and still cannot eat nightshades. Husband feels unwell even after gluten free bread.

I rotate my probiotics. Add resistant starch.

Masses of good fats - do you like the bulletproof approach?

A long way to say - it gets better but it won't disappear.

My husband says he's the guy next to you near the bread counter breathing in and quietly moaning.

hashiman profile image
hashiman in reply to milupa

Hi Milupa ,

You certainly seem to have all bases covered but its only taking all the wrong turns that show you the right path , which you guys seem to have found ! I am supplementing the same as you guys and now 80% Paleo .... 20% not but still good ... a few beers maybe a little gravy etc at weekends ... and this seems to be helping me no end I took this approach when I was first diagnosed with Hashimoto's the trouble is you feel better and slip back into bad habits .... Today after only a couple of weeks back on this diet I feel great the best I've felt in months ( you have to wonder what the levo does when you feel so low when not on Paleo ?)

So like you said earlier it seems in answer to my original question is no !

Thanks so much for your replies

(Ps I'll say hello to your husband next time I see him being lured in by Batons and Baguttes , Bloomers and Loaves !!! )

milupa profile image
milupa in reply to hashiman

Hi Hashiman -

I just remembered one more thing: I made a lot of 'paleofied' foods for a while, so our intake of nut flours and eggs went too high and I developed reactions to those as well. It took two years but I can eat them again, in normal amounts.

Going too low carb (keto) messed with my hormone levels, digestion and sleep, so I am sugar free but not carb free.

You mention glutamine, I know nothing about that. Of course I could google, but could you give a quick summary of your own experience please?

How about gluten free beer? Here in Berlin beer is a basic foodstuff (a human right almost), so all varieties are available and tasty.

Have a fab long weekend!

hashiman profile image
hashiman in reply to milupa

Hi Milupa,

I think I went Ketonic when I did this diet in October last year and really struggled with sleep. I still do have carbs but sweet potatoes occasional brown rice. I am limiting sugar and replacing with Stevia where needed (cup of tea !) but more often than not I enjoy a cup of red clover tea now, but regarding sugar I like fruit too much to cut it out completely so I just limit my consumption.

I take L - Glutamine to help with my food intolerance's and help heal " Leaky Gut " as I understand it in very very simplistic terms , When you have Leaky gut / intestinal permeability you have little gaps in your intestine which allow food particles through i.e gluten ... which then react with your body causing allergic reactions. L - Glutamine helps block these little holes up ! and again I'm sure it really helps me.

Below taken from Dr Axe's website

#3 L-Glutamine is critical for any program designed to heal leaky gut. Glutamine powder is an essential amino acid supplement that is anti-inflammatory and necessary for the growth and repair of your intestinal lining. L-glutamine benefits include acting as a protector: coating your cell walls and acting as a repellent to irritants. Take 2–5 grams twice daily.

draxe.com/4-steps-to-heal-l...

Ah German Beer how lucky you are !! I do have gluten free beer occasionally but at home unfortunately I've not seen any for sale in pubs here just yet.

I hope you guys have a great long weekend too lets hope the weather stays as nice as today .

milupa profile image
milupa in reply to hashiman

Hashiman - I hear you re fruit! One of my reasons to quit keto.

L-Glutamine had escaped me so far, thank you for the link and info!

Also: red clover tea. Intriguing!

I wish you every success, your 80/20 approach should allow for fun as well as health (Mark Sissons?)

hashiman profile image
hashiman in reply to milupa

No problem milupa glad to be able to help back a little .... If you really dig into things I've kind of found out (this may all be fantasy but there's pages of stuff devoted to it on the internet ) that a fungus called candida (yeast) probably cuases if not greatly adds to giving you leaky gut in turn leaky gut contributes to making you auto immune in what ever form that may take. Remove the candida , heal the gut , start to feel better ....

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