Here's a strange one. Someone I know who has normal T4, out of range TSH (not sure whether high or very low), no T3 tested, claims he has an underactive thyroid but since changing to a high carbohydrate diet, his thyroid problem is cured???
Is there any relationship between diet and thyroid function, particularly carbohydrates??
Following. Ray Peat's work and his followers all suggest that both fasting and variants of the low carb diets that I and many have followed can reduce thyroid function. Love to hear what others understand
There seems to be some evidence (sorry, I don’t have any links but I bet others will!) that carbohydrates are required to convert T4 to T3. So if this was a person who’d previously had a lower carb diet, increasing carbohydrate intake might well improve things.
It’s a tricky one. Because we seem to have many members who do well on a lower carb diet as well. Increasingly, I’m starting to understand (that for my personal circumstances at least) it may have a lot to do with what foodstuffs are cut out when one goes low carb, in particular wheat and other grains.
I’m therefore a bit agnostic when it comes to recommending the best diet for a hypothyroid person. The answer is probably “it depends”.
I did low carb and did do well on it......it meant I cut out grains. Years later after much debate by myself I was referred and formerly diagnosed gluten intolerant. I now believe the low carb diet simple meant I was gluten free. Since going gluten free and b12 injections my life has dramatically improved. Its such a shame that gluten intolerance has only in recent years come to the fore......& many GPs remain ignorant. The blood tests GP do are not for gluten intolerance but for coeliacs -different condition so you have to be referred to one of only two centres in the country. So my slow diagnosis has caused me permenant neurological harm sadly. My body shape has totally altered -I now have a waist!! I wonder how many low carb people are really gluten intolerant and thats why they feel well on that diet.
fiftyone,
Absolutely, because we need so much carb to be able to utilise thyroid hormone effectively. We also need balanced insulin available or end up with high amounts of unwanted RT3.
Dependant on how long carbs are withheld will determine whether changes to thyroid hormone mechanisms are permanent or reversible. Think of the anorexic or extreme athlete who have life long issues regaining a normalised metabolisation, or in a lesser vane the dieter who stops all carbs, gains weight as the body goes into starvation mode but loses weight upon eating a balanced diet.
It is not quite a simple as I have written but indicates the basic theories.
But low carb doesnt mean no carb Radd. When I did it I experimented with how much I needed and gained my carbs through veg. Too little and I felt tired and sluggish.
wl,
Yes, absolutely right.
And it isn't just the amount of carbs but where those carbs come from.
Ok thats interesting. Can you give me further info on their source and the research that links it. Am interested. Eg I always had potatoe in my diet and root veg but smaller amounts - they have carbs in them. However my true issue was gluten intolerance and. i now eat a wide variety of gluten free carbs.....and do well.
Wl,
I guess the one that stands out is processed sugar, fast acting empty calories V low GI foods that are nourishing.
I had huge success with getting my low amount of carbs from protein, healthy fats & veg for blood sugar issues after diagnosis. Also, I am not a big meat eater so take pea protein as it makes meds work better. Apart from balancing glucose levels for longer, the science is to do with mitochondria and ATP (body builders take it to the limit).
The other big factor is weight and adipose tissue. We need some for energy release but too much or too little plays havoc in changing the way carbs are then utilised, ie the more weight we carry the harder it is to lose even when consuming the same low carb.
radd good anwer my doctor tell me we can live without sugar but not nutricous carbohidrates. there is science to carbohidrates
I have not had pea protein.
I think your your doc must mean added sugar? As we do convert carbs to energy too effectively breaking down to glucose and there is plenty of "sugar" in fruit! I do hate generalisations.....& sadly GPs are really good at doing that.
yes he did say there is differant carbs. thank you wavylines
Thanks Radd thats really interesting. I had sugar cravings for years..... was it my body seeking energy that it couldn't get? It wasn't lack of food but the right food and the correct treatment for my thyroid. I do wonder now if sugar cravings are purely a symptom that something is wrong in the body....not a sweet tooth! Since I've finally unravelled what is going on I notice my sugar cravings rarely occur.....and I reckon that's because my body is finally balanced. This is not to say I dont eat any sugary foods. I do but I dont CRAVE them. And can walk past them.
I do much better on a low carb diet. I eat a totally GF diet. I was never tested though and I’m not going to start eating gluten again just to know for sure.
I eat carbs but not from grains and although I eat the odd potato and rice I don’t really eat bread GF bread isn’t ever really all that nice - not to someone who used to love bread. I tend to get my carbs from healthy vegetables that mostly grow above ground, underground veggies store sugar which spikes my blood sugar as does any type of grain.
I imagine I am gluten intolerant rather than coeliac. I have a photo my other half took of me after we had spent two weeks driving down through France with me eating every conceivable type of bread product - pains au raisin, croissants, French stick etc. My face is so totally puffed up that a friend who saw the ohoto couldn’t believe it was me she was looking at.
So I’d say there’s nothing wrong with carbs - just depends on where you get your carbs from. As Capella1 says - there is science to carbs and it’s the sugar that is what I try to avoid.
Glad you found a solution. We are all different and unique. On the gluten free front I find Tescos own artisan cob tasty....looks like home made fresh bread. I put it in the freezer straight away & take it out as I need slice by slice. Its yummy & in my opinion the best out there so far. Not of the sawdust variety! Toasts well too. I dont find it's the sugar content that gets me in food but the quality & how processed it is does matter.
That’s a very good tip for people new to GF bread - I do what you do and slice and freeze it, besides it’s so expensive you don’t want it to go off before you finish the loaf and I think it makes better toast. It’s odd stuff though , it often has a sort of sweet taste that I don’t like and some brands are a bit crumbly.
The bottom line is I think as it’s not a nice thick slice of really heavy, tasty wholemeal or lovely, chewy granary bread with lots of unsalted butter and a scraping of raspberry conserve it just doesn’t have the same appeal for me ☹️
Recommend Waitrose brown seeded GF sliced
Delicious toasted
Even good as bread
Pop it in the freezer and take out a slice as required
Top tip thanks SlowDragon will look out for it....my Waitrose is lovely but rubbish for gluten free. They have it all on a tiny end aisle with barely anything on it. I was really surprised. Thought Waitress would be tops at GF. Turns out not so.....I live in a big city too!
Order online perhaps?
Their GP Hot x buns and crumpets and pancakes are all delicious
Best GF oats - as nice and large. Makes delicious crumble (50/50 Doves SR GF flour and GF oats)
Best GF lager - M&S
Thanks - am going to write this all down. I buy GF Bran flakes from Tescos.....lovely & crisp. But not keen on their pancakes or crumpets! Will revisit W. I'm a wine or cider girl...or g&t! 😊😊
I make my own muesli(And now have to make it for all the family as they all love it so much )
Mix in large bowl - store in tin.
Makes about 20 plus portions
Bag of Waitrose GF oats 400g
Add selection nuts, seeds, dried fruit
My selection and approx amounts
3 handfuls raisins
3 chopped figs
8 chopped dates
Nuts
8 chopped Brazil nuts
20 walnuts chopped
15 almonds chopped
3 tablespoons
Sunflower seeds
Flax seeds
Golden linseed
Pumpkin seeds
Other options
Dried cranberries
Dried apricots
Have for breakfast with milk/yogurt/plain kefir
Add half a banana and handful fresh blueberries
Brown bread, hot x buns
waitrose.com/ecom/products/...
waitrose.com/ecom/products/...
Great lightly toasted
waitrose.com/ecom/products/...
Oooh wow that muesli receipe sounds gorgeous. On to it! Thanks for the other tips too. 😊
Awww u have all my sympathy. This is the nearest but its not granary....but works. On the other hand my tummy aches & horrid indigestion are gone & my tremors have improved. I can give up that love granary for those symptoms to be gone, to be able to stand without shaking like a jelly & to be able to smile again & not choke! 😉🤣
Just seen your new post where you complain that no-one understands your question. I think everyone has understood it, they just don't have a definitive answer, they're just telling what we know. After all, we're not doctors or scientists, just thyroid patients.
But, I'm going to stick my neck out and say no. A high carb diet will not restore thyroid function. As others have said on your new thread, some of us tend to over-indulge in carbs, for whatever reason, but it doesn't stop us developing thyroid disease. I was born just after the war, when food was very short, and we had very little protein but loads of carbs available - especially potatoes - plus the most awful bread you've ever tasted in your life! - and root veggies. We filled up on them. But, as far as I can tell, I developed hypo at around the age of 8.
As to your friend's story, you really don't have enough detail to show anything at all. Was he really hypo? If so, was he treated for it? Was he tested for Hashi's? We would need all the numbers: results from full thyroid testing before and after, with ranges, and dates/time-line, and doses of thyroid hormone replacement if aplicable, before we could even hazard a guess at what might have happened.
But, I still say no, a high carb diet cannot restore thyroid function. And that's why doctors don't tell us about it. 
no. My acquaintance just declared he had cured a low thyroid condition by eating a lot more carbs. (he hasn't been diagnosed. Came to this conclusion himself because his TSH was out of range) This sounded ridiculous but he insisted. Just thought I'd see what others thought of this relationship between carbs and thyroid)
Its an interesting question. A good balanced diet does help your body to function as well as it can but Ive never heard of it restoring normal thyroid function. More likely he had a flare up of autoimmune thyroid or his higher TSH was a temporary consequence of having had a virus. Both can settle with time. He would have to evidence his claim with hard facts & a series of blood test to show he had hypothyroidism consistantly before. A one of blood test would not be evidence enough. Its not enough usually to diagnose the condition. I wish it was that simple because we would all be at it - and no meds required!
If he did, there’s a strong chance it will return (his thyroid condition). I think it’s not impossible to put autoimmune thyroid illness into remission but it’s not a cure.
Well, as others have explained, the relationship is that you need carbs to convert but that's all.
Just taking a wild guess, but it could be that he was on a low-carb - or no-carb - diet and it badly affected his conversion. Low T3 would have caused his TSH to rise, but as soon as he increased his carbs, his conversion improved and his TSH came down again. But, it is just a guess because we have no facts to go on.
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