Hypothyroidism = Low nutrients, Why?

[Sarahlouise1980]

Just curious really, why does hypothyroidism lead to deficiencies in nutrients such as Ferritin, Folate, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D? x

[humanbean]

Because one effect of having hypothyroidism is to reduce stomach acid. Without stomach acid food is poorly broken down in the stomach and the gut and so the body can't extract nutrients from food very well.

This is why being kind to the gut is essential in hypothyroidism.

[fiftyone in reply to humanbean]

That is so strange. My stomach acid keeps increasing, even though I'm on a high dose of levo and have been hypo for 35 years. I now take two omeprazole a day to control the acid.

[fiftyone in reply to fiftyone]

any answers, anyone?

[Serendipitious in reply to fiftyone]

fiftyone,

How do you know that your stomach acid keeps increasing? With age it definitely decreases and if you’re hypothyroid that also lowers it. Unfortunately doctors prescribe PPIs like omeprazole when patients complain of indigestion and heartburn. These problems occur when the Ph of our stomach acid is too LOW which causes the valve above the stomach to open and the acid to rise causing all manor of problems. So contrary to general beliefs it’s more likely that the Ph of stomach acid especially in hypo patients is likely to be low and in low amounts.

Add omeprazole which reduces the symptoms only and the whole situation gets a lot worse.

Excellent video by Dr Eric Berg explains further:

youtu.be/MKS2Hm5ofBE(Not working as expected?)

[fiftyone in reply to Serendipitious]

this is not my exprience though. I was diagnosed with gastritis some years ago. I don't get heartburn or indigestion, ever! I get an increasing gnawing pain in my stomach. Two omeprazole a day eliminates that. I had one per day for years, then found I needed to by loads of antacid tablets as well. Now two omeprazole control the acid very well and I feel very well.

[Serendipitious in reply to fiftyone]

fiftyone,

Have you tried to actually treat the cause of the gastritis? Do you know why you have it in the first place? PPIs will simply alleviate the pain of gastritis by lowering stomach acid. They are not a cure hence why you need to keep taking it.

[fiftyone in reply to Serendipitious]

I have no idea of the cause. The doctor has never even mentioned that. Does anyone know what the possible cause could be??

[Treepie in reply to fiftyone]

I had pressure on my chest which was diagnosed as acid . I wasted time using the unscientific low acid test referred to here which showed low acid. Put on Omeprazole which worked. Then had gastroscopy which found stomach ulcers and inflammation of the oesophagus but the biopsies found nothing.The second gastroscopy six weeks later found the ulcers bigger so more tests applied to biopsies and non hodgkins lymphoma found. First six months of year was on chemo.

The low acid hypothesis may apply to some but not all.

[fiftyone in reply to Treepie]

but omeprazole is for high acid???!

[Treepie in reply to fiftyone]

Yes ,which I must have had but caused by the lymphoma.

Seeing the GP about reducing the Emoprazole I am now on which is also recommended for Barratts oesophagus as I do not like the potential long term effects.

[fiftyone in reply to Serendipitious]

just checked on the internet: causes of gastritis. None of the causes relate to me at all! (eg, alcohol, taking antiflammatories etc.)

[Serendipitious in reply to fiftyone]

fiftyone,

Conventional allopathic medicine doesn’t always look for the root cause of disease because the treatment they offer doesn’t require it. I’m not saying you have to look for the root cause that’s upto you but googling the problem will only give you some ideas. If you’re happy to take the PPIs then that’s all well and good.

Other causes include infections such as H. Pylori, diet, stress and the side effects of other medications. Gastritis is simply a description of a symptom it’s not telling you why you have something. From personal experience I’ve found that finding the cause of disease and treating it has helped me more. Plus I’ve hopefully avoided a lot of unnecessary drugs. Unfortunately most of our GPs and consultants are not trained in a way to do this.

[fiftyone in reply to Serendipitious]

I fully agree that finding the cause is always the best thing, Thanks for your interest and point of view. Realy appreciate your input

[Poniesrfun in reply to Serendipitious]

Gastric acid is a first line of defense against GI diseases like C. diff, salmonella and E. coli. It’s recommended that PPI’s be given on a periodic basis and not long term. We used to give PPI’s routinely in the ICU then found these patients got nasty GI stuff. Treatment thoughts for ulcers have changed to a round of antibiotics together with Carafate (sulcrafate). L-glutamine is used to lessen gastritis for chemo/radiation patients and can help long term to protect the GI tract.

Patti In AZ

[Serendipitious in reply to Poniesrfun]

Yes I love L-Glutamine too especially the powder. I don’t have gastritis but it’s good for sugar cravings too. Add to that some Zinc Carnosine. Great for calming and healing the gut.

H. Pylori is another cause for so many health issues in the stomach.

This is one such product but as far as I know only available in the US but you can get similar stuff here:

Klaire Labs Endozin

amazon.com/Klaire-Labs-Endo...

[Poniesrfun in reply to Serendipitious]

I add the glutamine powder to juice or to my bulletproof coffee. I know you can purchase amino acid powders for horses in the UK but don’t know where you would get the human versions.

[Serendipitious in reply to Poniesrfun]

There’s plenty of reputable places. Amrita Nutrition is one of them online.

Then there’s the obvious places like Amazon but you’d need to check for quality etc.

[humanbean in reply to Poniesrfun]

Glutamine powder is destroyed by heat, so adding it to your coffee is a bad idea.

From this link : aminoacidstudies.org/l-glut...

Natural foodstuffs tend to contain relatively low levels of this amino acid. Furthermore glutamine is denatured by heat. This means that heat damages its chemical structure and diminishes its properties.

[Serendipitious in reply to humanbean]

humanbean,

Good to know thanks for letting us know. That reminds me I’m going to have some right now 😊

[Hidden in reply to humanbean]

Does that still happen even when optimal levels?

[humanbean in reply to Hidden]

Sorry, I don't know.

[Hidden in reply to humanbean]

Thanks

[bookish]

Hi. I notice that you mention gastritis and low B12, but you didn't mention the gastritis as a symptom on your Pernicious Anaemia post otherwise I'm sure someone would have picked up on it. Is your gastritis autoimmune? It may well be that that is causing the low B12 and you may already have PA. (Low B12 can also affect pituitary signalling and hence thyroid and adrenal function). Might be worth another question on the PA forum as the B12 and folate need checking properly (difficult now you are supplementing, as I have found myself!). Have a look at the symptoms list b12deficiency.info/signs-an... . Best wishes to you

[haggisplant]

There is a direct link to iron; something to do with how blood cells are made in bone marrow and how iron is used as well as digestion. When hypo the whole process slows down and can cause anaemia. There was a detailed article in the British thyroid foundation magazine within the last two years I think, which will be on their website.

It’s not always that they lead to direct deficiencies. (I think hyperthyroidism generally drains the whole body due to fast metabolism though)

Many symptoms of a lack of those vitamins are similar to low thyroid levels and so if corrected, help. So if T4 isn’t helping all symptoms, get those checked and at really good levels.

Also it’s likely that symptoms are more noticeable in hypothyroidism whereas a euthyroid person would be ‘ok.’ Certainly ferritin over 70/100 has been shown to correct ongoing hypo symptoms without anaemia, whereas that level might be fine in a euthyroid person.