Zinc and underactive thyroid

[JuleBer]

Hi, my name is Julia and I'm new to this forum.

Does anyone know whether taking zinc as a supplement with an underactive thyroid is a good or bad thing please? I normally take it to bolster immunity, not for anything related to my underactive thyroid.

I had someone mention that taking it can exacerbate the symptom's, but all my searches for further information appear to indicate the opposite but these are not from sites I would commonly go to such as NHS.

Grateful for any information/thoughts.

[humanbean]

Sorry to state the obvious but...

If you are low in zinc then taking zinc will be beneficial. If you already have plenty of zinc then taking zinc will not be a good idea.

Zinc deficiency : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_...

Zinc toxicity : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_...

There is a strong relationship between zinc and copper. So, if zinc is low, copper is probably high. If zinc is high then copper is probably low.

Copper deficiency : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppe...

Copper toxicity : en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppe...

Note that supplementing with zinc can interfere with the absorption of iron.

Also please note that many sufferers of thyroid disease tend to have low zinc and high copper, although there are rare exceptions to that rule who find that their zinc is high and their copper is low.

For more info on zinc and copper in connection with thyroid disease, do searches for "zinc" and "copper" on the Izabella Wentz website :

thyroidpharmacist.com/

I would say that anyone who supplements any mineral or vitamin should do some research on deficiency and toxicity of what they are supplementing. And they need to find out what happens to an excess of any supplement they take.

For example, too much iron (often referred to as iron overload) can end up getting deposited in body tissues that have no means of getting rid of it, and it is essentially poisonous in excess.

Magnesium can be supplemented at sensible levels. Any excess should be excreted via the kidneys. BUT - the kidneys must be reasonably functional to manage this. People with kidney failure can easily build up excessive levels of magnesium in the body, but for people with functioning kidneys it should be difficult to become toxic with magnesium at sensible doses.

[humanbean in reply to humanbean]

P.S. Welcome to the forum.

[radd]

JuleBer,

Welcome to our forum,

For good thyroid function we need optimal amounts of a variety of nutrients, but many deficiencies are experienced by people with low thyroid hormone levels due to the resulting gut absorption issues.

Zinc is one of the essential micronutrients helping in the production & utilisation of thyroid hormone. However, excess zinc can be extremely harmful and any level must be balanced with selenium & iodine for good thyroid function.

When we medicate thyroid hormone replacement, the iodine is included so extra is not usually needed unless deficiencies were still found but zinc & selenium are often supplemented if levels are found to be low. Other nutrients commonly found to be deficient are Vit B12, folate, Vit D and iron.

Do you have a thyroid problem? If you post any results complete with ranges (numbers in brackets), members will comment.

[JuleBer in reply to radd]

Thank you for your response.I have been underactive since 2010 and am currently on 100mcg a day.

I have tended to take Zinc because historically I've always picked up an excessive amount of colds, at least 12 a year. Since being on Zinc this has been reduced to 1-2.

I'm due to have my annual test in July but have wondered whether to get other levels checked like Zinc, VitB12 and VitD etc.

I will ask for my last results, my GP tends to only say still okay or discuss if a change in dosage required.

[Tala76]

Sorry I recommend to look at accurate websites. Wikipedia is not accurate at all and everybody can open an account and write as I have . Look at the articles or government websites. NHS for guideline NICE. Not Wikipedia. Articles of the last few years are more recent . As I use my phone I could not share the article with you. But I copy some parts. Zinc Deficiency Associated with Hypothyroidism: An Overlooked Cause of Severe Alopecia

Ambooken Betsy, MP Binitha, and S Sarita

Additional article information

Abstract

Hypothyroidism is a common and well recognized cause of diffuse hair loss. Zinc and other trace elements such as copper and selenium are required for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, and deficiency of these can result in hypothyroidism. Conversely, thyroid hormones are essential for the absorption of zinc, and hence hypothyroidism can result in acquired zinc deficiency. The hair loss attributed to hypothyroidism may not improve with thyroxine unless zinc supplements are added, as demonstrated in our case.

Keywords: Alopecia, hypothyroidism, zinc deficiency

INTRODUCTION

The metabolism of zinc and thyroid hormones are closely interlinked. We describe a patient with a concurrent onset of hypothyroidism and zinc deficiency who presented with severe diffuse hair loss, and briefly discuss the association.