I have just received my latest blood tests from Medichecks and would be grateful if you would cast an eye over them and let me know what you think.
My results are as follows:
TSH 0.393 mIU/L (0.27 - 4.20), previously in September 1.2
FT4 20 pmol/L (12 - 22), previously in September 19.4
FT3 4.81 pmol/L (3.10 - 6.80), previously in September 4.2
My antibodies were tested this time, TGAB for the first time.
My TPO antibodies were found to be >1300 at diagnosis. Antibody results as follows:
Thyroglobulin antibodies: 492 IU/mL (0 - 115)
Thyroid peroxide antibodies: 356 IU/nO (0 - 34) - down from >1300
I am following a gluten-free, lactovegetarian diet. If I cut out all the foods suggested by Medichecks to reduce my antibodies, there'll be nothing left for me to eat. I basically live on nuts and fruit*, salads*, rice*, eggs*, pasta*, cheese* and yoghurt*. (Medicheck state that research indicates all the asterisked items should be eliminated from the diet! What are your thoughts?
I am currently taking 67.85 mcg levothyroxine. Would increasing my dose of levo by a small amount improve my T3?
Would be grateful for any advice.
Best wishes
Caroline
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Caroline888
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Instead of cutting things out could make most of your meals vegetable based? Vegetables being the largest component and add oily fish twice a week to your meal plans? Olive oil and avocado oil are also good to use. You might then find you don't need pasta which is usually wheat based.
I am a vegetarian so don't eat fish either - that's the problem really, my diet is already very limited. I could happily live on nuts but think that probably would not be a good idea😐. I like vegetables but usually in a pasta or cheese sauce. I have been eating only gf pasta and have cut out wheat-based products. Went gluten-free 8 months ago. I do like olives though and olive oil so could eat more of those. I have been eating a lot of salads with egg, cheese or hummous, but apparently research says this isn't good!
I think I probably will keep to the gluten-free diet and trust that alone will continue to lower my antibodies. It's just not practical to exclude all those food groups. At least chocolate wasn't banned! Or red wine!!
Hope you are keeping well. Thank you for your support.
I think egg, cheese, hummous are all good for you unless you have an allergy. I've read that whole milk from organic grass fed cattle is likely to have a higher nutrient value and more minerals, K2 etc.
Thank you, Nanaedake, I will continue to enjoy my salads then😊.
I don’t drink milk per se but do eat a range of different cheeses and natural yoghurt. I guess they’re not all organic. Must start label reading in earnest!
If I cut out all the foods suggested by Medichecks to reduce my antibodies, there'll be nothing left for me to eat.
And, it wouldn't be worth it, anyway! There's so proof that cutting out any type of food reduces antibodies. And, even if you did manage to get rid of them all, you would still have Hashi's, because the antibodies aren't the disease. I'm not even convinced that reducing them is a good idea, because they have a job to do, clear out the debris from your blood. And, it is not the antibodies doing the attacking, as most people think.
If you cut out all that, not only will you not have anything left to eat, but you will also be very nutrient deficient. It's hare enough to maintain levels of B12 and iron when vegetarian without slashing your menu to the bare bone. It would be an impossible diet to follow long-term, anyway. The boredom would be excruciating! I didn't know medichecks made recommendations like that, and I'm very disappointed to hear it.
You could, of course, try an elimination diet, to see if any foods are causing you problems. But, to be honest, I believe that if they were, you would already know about it. And, I cannot honestly believe that these foods do secret, silent, invisible damage to the body. Life's too short to stuff a mushroom, as they say, so eat what agrees with you, and what you feel happy eating, and ignore all this crack-pot advise from puritans that would have you living on gruel. I'm convinced that food is better for you when you enjoy it.
I had come to the same conclusion and for the same reasons, but it is good to see that you too think cutting out all those food groups is unnecessary and even unwise.
I will persist with the gf diet, at least for the time being, because I feel better on it, but I have wondered if there is in fact any way of knowing that it is actually capable of reducing antibodies since they fluctuate anyway. Also, if, as you say, they have the function of clearing debris resulting from an attack on the thyroid, then reducing their number is probably not the wise move we are led to believe.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this. I am very happy now to disregard Medichecks recommendations. It is not practical for me to further limit my diet. As you say, I would certainly become nutrient deficient. My grandmother had two sayings about food which I've always adhered to: "a little of what you fancy does you good" and "moderation in all things".
I think a little nibble of chocolate is now in order!😊
For your information, I will copy and paste Medichecks recommendations below.
"Your thyroid antibodies are high as would be expected with autoimmune disease and it seems like going gluten free has improved the TPO.
There is some evidence that diet can affect the levels of thyroid antibodies and that some people feel better when their antibody levels are lower. Research has shown eating less carbohydrates and more protein, as well as eating less of the following foods can help to lower thyroid antibodies:
Rape seed or canola (vegetable oil), cabbage, turnip, watercress, rocket, radish, horseradish, milk produced by cattle fed on these vegetables, soy, spinach, millet, tapioca, lettuce
The research also suggests eliminating these foods from the diet altogether:
Rape seed or canola (vegetable oil), cabbage, turnip, watercress, rocket, radish, horseradish, milk produced by cattle fed on these vegetables, soy, spinach, millet, tapioca, lettuce
I really don't think any of those are anything to do with antibodies.
I wouldn't recommend anybody consume rapeseed or canola oil - I would call them seed oils, rather than vegetable oils - because they are highly processed. So, yes, cut them out.
Cabbage, turnip, watercress, radish, horseradish, spinach, millet, are goitrogens. They don't affect antibodies, I'm pretty sure, but if you ate masses and masses of them, they could impede the uptake of iodine by the thyroid, and eventually cause a goitre.
Soy is bad for everybody, but especially hypos. They are goitrogenic, but worse than that, they impede the uptake of thyroid hormones by the cells. So, definitely cut that one out.
Lettuce is a nightshade. But why single that one out? What about the others?
And I've no idea what they've got against tapioca. lol It's disgusting but apart from that…
These things don't suit everybody, but I don't agree that everybody should just cut them all out regardless. Eggs are a power-house of nutrients. Legumes? Well… goitrogenic, but so what. Bread and pasta contain gluten, of course, so a no-no if you're gluten-free. Fruit? Contains a lot of sugar, but you do need some carbs. As for rice, so many nationalities have it as their dietary staple, what are they supposed to eat if they're hypo? You just have to use a little common sense in what you eat. Too much of any one thing is not good. But, I entirely agree with your grandmother's philosophy! A very wise woman, I would say.
Thanks greygoose. You’ve put everything into perspective for me😊. I certainly don’t eat soy but I eat quite a few salads every week so I guess I should watch how much of the goitrogenic foods I eat. Otherwise, I think my diet accords with what you have said. For the rest, I think I’ll just stick to gf for the moment!
I doubt if you could eat enough goitrogens to affect you. There are so many goitrogens that they haven't even mentioned, and you probably eat frequently without even thinking about it. So, I really wouldn't worry. Besides, you're taking thyroid hormone replacement, so you're not relying entirely on your thyroid for your hormone. That's when goitrogens can possibly become a problem, when you're untreated and your thyroid is struggling.
But we've all talked about the food aspect, and ignored your other question. Would raising your levo slightly improve your T3? Probably not. Could even make it worse. Because you've reached the point where any more T4 would start converting to more rT3 than T3, so your FT3 level would go down. If you want to raise your FT3, you'll have to start taking some T3, I'm afraid.
Thanks, greygoose, for addressing my question re my dose of levo.
I will stay on my current dose then. My results don’t appear too bad though I believe my conversion is a little off.
I don’t think I want to pursue the T3 route with all the problems that seems to entail and actually I feel ok. Many symptoms, that I didn’t even associate with hypothyroidism, have gone away since I started treatment so I feel lucky. I am still easily exhausted and need a nap every afternoon after walking my dog but I don’t mind that. I’m retired, it’s a luxury I can afford!😊
Thank you also for your very reassuring comments re goitrogenic foods. I shall continue to enjoy my salads without worrying.
My vitamin D when last tested was 108, vitamins B12 and folate were slightly above range. I supplemented iron (1 x 210 mg ferrous fumurate per day) for one month earlier in the year, bringing my level up from 34 to 83.
I don't know that I will have maintained that level as I stopped taking the iron for fear of overdosing. No support from my GP as my level of 34 was considered normal - no surprise there! The Medichecks iron panel blood test with the result of 83 was done after I'd stopped the supplement for a couple of months. I try to eat at least three iron-rich foods a day and I do take 1 ferrous fumurate tablet a week😐. Perhaps you'll think that's a little odd but I have the tablets left over and feel one tablet a week can't do any harm. I will check my iron levels again sometime. In six months perhaps?
I have learned on this site how important it is to optimise levels for good uptake and conversion of thyroid hormones. I think low iron is my main concern.
Hope you are keeping well and that you are keeping all aches and pains at bay in this cold, wet weather.
Well, all that sounds good. And I don't think it's odd that you're taking the iron once a week. You're right, you don't want to over-dose. Do you take vit C with it to protect your stomach? And, when you eat iron-rich foods, do you make sure you are also eating a source of vit C to help with absorption?
I saw on the site that vitamin c should be taken with iron so I always do, though I hadn’t realised it was to protect the stomach. I thought it was only to aid absorption. It makes sense though that it should also be to protect the stomach as I do sometimes take it without food. The advice on whether to take it on an empty stomach or not seems to vary, so I’m a bit inconsistent there.
Thanks for all your help today. I’m really grateful.
Yes, that's not clear, is it. On the PIL for the one I take, it says 'take with or without food, according to doctors instructions'. Like a doctor would know! lol So, I take it when I take it. As long as it's four hours away from thyroid hormone, that's ok. Seems to be doing its job.
It's good that it's working for you😊. Since those who should know, don't advise us properly, we have to do the best we can don't we? It's a bit trial and error! Hopefully it doesn't really matter too much. As you say, as long as it's doing its job.
Just want to share even though I managed to control my TSH,t4,T3 with Levo my antibodies were extremely high I couldn’t bring them down. I read a book by Dr Isabella Wentz and I went gluten free 80%, drank camal milk half a glass daily, started selenium, vitamin E and cbd oil I already took b complex and 2 months later my results for antibodies came back normal. Best book I read that helped me get myself well... thought I would share x
Thank you for sharing. I have Izabella Wentz's book too and have found it very helpful. Am so glad you have found something that works for you. Hope you continue to do well.
Thank you Caroline, I don’t know what helped me reduce my antibodies down as I had made so many changes and drank camal milk but it all came out her book.. wish you all the best x
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