This excellent paper (available) relates the value of minerals (well known to TUK) on thyroid function. No surprises but a handy lever to convince doctors of minerals' importance in AIT therapy. There are several papers in this research topic, and this can lead onto their access.
Oh thank you diogenes for this very informative paper which I shall ensure reaches my GP who was very taken aback when I asked if I could be tested for selenium, copper and zinc, in relation to my scalp psoriasis which has plagued me for more than 20 years. Amazingly the selenium eradicated the psoriasis completely and I also found that my copper levels were high and I was deficient in zinc (all of which I'm now supplementing myself as he had no idea what it all meant).
HowNowWhatNow - I should imagine having optimum vitamin and mineral levels would benefit so many people globally irrespective of what wide ranging diseases or conditions they may have. Unfortunately GP's aren't well versed on the subject which for many is their first port of call. In theory it would be great if people could be blood tested even early on in pregnancy not only for the aforementioned but to ascertain thyroid levels as so many seem to end up with post partum thyroditis of one description or another which is so sad😢
Thank you diogenes - most informative. I take a large list of supplements, including additional for CFS, which have stood me in way better stead than anything medicine presumes to 'know' about our everyday living.
Yes, I will hunt out the list - I'm so used to taking them now, don't think about it. Dr P looked at my list in 2010 - my asking him which ones I could stop... only started because NOTHING was happening re my hypothyroidism [when GPs KNEW for 7 yrs that I was on the cusp of those silly ranges, I was not told, yet with signs/symptoms that were patently obvious] = Dr P added 2 more to my list Since then, I've added more re CFS and Dr Sarah M. I'll find the list and post it over the next couple of days or so. [Sorry, often in the middle of have to 'take on'...] xox
On the cusp of hypothyroidism ignored by my GPs too. Thankfully we are able to access our blood test results now. But what a difference it would have made if we had been given thyroid replacement hormones several years earlier 😐
The 'good' doctors would go on signs/symptoms - 'range populations' have pretty much nothing to do with me, you or other individuals. Endocrinology relies on laziness when ignoring numerous ill patients. Sick or what!?
Yes, that may help, yet we need better healthcare, EVEN if only for medicine [NO for us also!] because hypothyroidism can lead to so many other health problems, which in the long run costs more than doing the best for patients 'at the time'. Best wishes. xox
It was Dr Skinner who finally tracked down my fatigue from Sept. 1979... I'd had glandular fever six months prior; also meningococcal meningitis Sept, 1991. In 1979 and for years later, I could have just lay down on any curb to sleep... GP said, "You're tired, I work xx hours, tough". I've had horrendous fatigue at times, got to find a way for self: they are no longer fit for purpose. You need to find a way to help yourself... they are unlikely to.
CFS – ATP ‘enhancers’ and general health supplements: CFS dx refused by me due to the then ludicrous ‘treatments’ [CBT + GET!], with nothing else on offer/to date. Others to follow xox
D-Ribose @ 5g x 3 times daily
Alpha Lipoic Acid 300mg – x 1 daily
Bio-Quinone Active Q10 Super – 30mg x 2, then x 1 @ 30mg before bed
Bio-Quinone Active Q10 Gold – 100mg x 1 each day
Acetyl L-Carnitine 50 mg – x 1 daily
L-Carnitine 500mg – x 1 daily Thiamin 100mg – x 1 daily
Here's the others: sorry, the full list and amounts was done so long ago, can't yet find it. This is all I say to 'them' now... mostly they're not even interested.
Various – typically used: Vits B 1, 3, 5, 6 + 12 individually, Vits C + D, + Magnesium,
Oh, I started slowly, hearing that x, y and z could help and being ignored out of hand by medicine when palpitations began in 2003: [TSH recorded as 0.14 just within range... I don't give much truck to that BUT they do!]. Worsened by 2007 [TSH was then just 0.11 within range... still ignored - paid Cardiologist privately and was told that everything I'd said was confirmed by the tests... BTW, I couldn't afford any of that!]. I just added supplements as and when. As said above, Dr P approved of my stuff in May 2010 - only real difference was the addition of the CFS 'helpers' in 2016.
AND if anyone on here comments that the combination is excessive and/or dangerous... then I had no access to any help from any doctor... as many of us don't. Just have to do what we can for ourselves because... healthcare isn't often available for these chronic issues.
Yes, it must cost a lot... I'm too wary to even think about it. Some stuff I take alternate days. The Co-Q 10 [ubiquinol form] is the most expensive BUT, since my heart issues from 2003 have been largely ignored... even though in March this year a 24 hr monitor recorded A-fib at 38% of that time... no one has dx it. Females seem, as with much else, to get the short straw within much of medicine. I do feel that the Q-10 is helping re heart.
Thank you Linda C for a message that tells me a lot about how you have struggled to keep yourself well in spite of all those not helping who should have done.
I take T3 alone, recommended by Dr P - said Armour won't really help [which I was taking - hugely helped] from 2011. Oh I've had some awful times... compounded by endo-filth.
Dr Myhill’s website really helped me when my 4 piont saliva cortisol was almost flatlined (private test) & the gp 9am cortisol was below range but she refused to take any further action (husband got involved & finally got SSTbut that was deemed “ok” and no help offered) I was absolutely exhausted and after a week following the suggested diet & supplements I could feel improvement & have managed to deal with a series of life stressors with old folk care & deaths.
SST is short Synacthen test that has to be done via the endocrinology department.
Cutting out gluten, dairy & going low carb as starters but also adding many of the supplements & adrenal supports Dr myhill speaks about on her website. I think the extra minerals, CQ10 & hydrocortisone cream nudged things in the right direction.
And re: gluten - I was low on GF food in the house yesterday and lapsed, eating wheat based bread. No more than 10-20 minutes from that I could feel a headache coming on. From 5 pm I was burping non-stop for half an hour - my kids asked me to stop but it was out of my hands, and by 6 it was a full blown migraine. I guess the moral of the story is - don’t be weak, ignore all delicious wheaty bread!
I must have read somewhere about adrenal fatigue and knew I had been though an increasingly stressful period (old folk care & deaths) so wondered if it was the missing link. I used Regenurus to self test cortisol levels.
So much of the thyroid factor is a journey of self education as so few doctors are able to look at the whole clinical picture and solely rely on blood tests.
Oh the delicious smell of freshly baked bread! after a while feeling better makes it easier to resist .
It truly is a journey. The Slough of Despond and all the other pilgrims’ progress features have been part of mine.
I once asked my GP whether I could set up a group - based at their practice - for thyroid patients. He looked at me as if I was a trouble maker so that didn’t happen!
I avoid the gp as much as possible lest they declare I’m over medicated & try to override endocrinologist’s permission to have below range TSH if T3&4 are in range. Much easier these days as it’s nigh on impossible to get an appointment
Thank you for passing this on . I’m afraid I don’t have a medical background. I realise that mineral absorption is important for thyroid issues but can anyone explain the paper. In layman terms. Thank you 🙏
Thank you ever so much for posting the link! I would love to enquire about the section on iodine…
"Growth in the prevalence of AITD should not limit the introduction of I supplements in the general population. Consumption of I in a concentration not exceeding 300 μg/L is safe with regard to AITD and does not increase the risk of autoimmune disorders for the population. Studies of the long-term consequences of the use of I on the occurrence and development of AITD clearly demonstrated that the early increase in thyroid antibodies is mostly transient, differs between populations under the influence of genetic and environmental factors, and does not always coincide with the presence of AITD or its further development (54). Excess I, which can disrupt thyroid function, in part, through OS, is much less harmful because it affects only a small percentage of individuals susceptible to AITD. While iodine deficiency affects the population and causes endemic consequences (55).”
Am I misunderstanding the article only my impression from this research is that Iodine in relation to thyroid health is that it has been over demonized?
It reads to me that risk of AITD is more likely with suboptimal iodine than excess and that many people may be better off supplementing with iodine since the risk of not having enough iodine poses greater risks than excess.
If this is the case, what would the upper supplementation limit of 300 μg/L equate to in form of a daily tablet/supplement for the average person?
The over-demonization is largely based on the dosing regimes which are so often suggested.
We see people taking many milligrams of iodine - often 5 to 50. Which is vastly more than 300 micrograms.
And many "iodine" supplements are based on seaweeds with variable and uncertain iodine content. (And rarely is an assay provided for the actual substance in your bottle. Just a claimed representative level for the plant used.)
Concern about lower level iodine supplementation - such as the typical 150 micrograms in many multi-vitamins - is based at least partly on our ignorance of our iodine consumption from our general diets combined with the approx. 65% iodine inherent in levothyroxine. Which is already effectively an iodine supplement. (Albeit not on its own reaching 300 micrograms.)
If we imagine that we have spent our lives on the basic requirement (150 micrograms) from our diet and that is at least just about adequate. Then we take 100 micrograms of levothyroxine which potentially adds another 65 micrograms. And then add a multivitamin at 150 micrograms. We could now have reached 365 micrograms.
At the same time, if we are on full replacement dose of thyroid hormone, our thyroid (what is left of them!) will not be taking up much, if any, iodine from our bloodstream. And obviously none of we have had a total thyroidectomy. Which is where most ingested iodine goes in those who have no thyroid issues.
One of the things that confuses me though is that the safe upper limit of iodine appears to be referring to 300mcg per litre of urine. The article doesn’t appear to be referring to mcg per person per day. The article says:
“However, in HT patients from an iodine-deficient region of Turkey, no association was found between HT and urinary I levels, which were not elevated compared to the general population. Also, no significant difference was found between the levels of fT3, fT4, ТPОАb, TgАb and thyroid gland volume in individuals with urinary I concentration above and below 100 μg/L. The difference reached a probable level only when comparing indicators with TSH (52). A national cross-sectional survey in mainland China found that after two decades of USI, the prevalence of TPOAb remained low. More than sufficient intake of I had an inverse relationship with TPOAb, and suggests that UIC from 100 to 299 μg/L is optimal and safe for the occurrence of AITD (53). Moreover, a multivariate regression analysis of a case-control study by Attard CC. et al, 2022 (5), showed that a higher intake of iodine-rich foods reduced the odds of TPOAb production (OR 0.864, 95% CI 0.761-0.981; p=0.024).
Growth in the prevalence of AITD should not limit the introduction of I supplements in the general population. Consumption of I in a concentration not exceeding 300 μg/L is safe with regard to AITD and does not increase the risk of autoimmune disorders for the population.”
The article reads to me that when discussing the safe upper iodine limit it is referring to excreted ‘urine iodine concentration (UIC)’. So in other words, the authors are saying that provided the amount of unused, excess iodine excreted via the urine does not exceed 300mcg per litre of urine, this would be safe in regard to AITD.
If so, the amount of iodine that could be safely consumed by the general population could be considerably higher than 300mcg per person per day.
Part of the 300 micrograms per litre appears to imply the concentration - e.g. in a liquid that is drunk. Rather more difficult to interpret if taken in any sold form!
And other bits are talking about the concentration in urine.
I think what I said makes logical sense - even if it needs to be reconsidered with regard to how units are considered!
Thanks very much for getting back to me, helvella! Looking at the abstract from the original study though it is studying the amount of excreted iodine contained in the urine from people living in an area where universal salt iodization had been used for the previous 20 years.
Interestingly it states that:
“The prevalence of thyroid antibody positivity was the highest in the iodine-deficient (UIC <100 μg/L) groups.”
“more than adequate iodine intake’ and ‘excessive iodine intake’ both had an ‘inverse’ relationship with TPOAb positivity, which reveals that urinary iodine concentration between 100 and 299 μg/L is optimal and safe for thyroid autoimmunity.”
“Abstract
Background: Iodine intake is associated with thyroid autoimmunity. In this study, we evaluated the changes in thyroid autoimmunity after 20 years of universal salt iodization (USI) in China. Methods: A total of 78,470 subjects (18 years or older) from 31 provincial regions of mainland China participated in the study. Serum thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb), TSH receptor antibody, thyrotropin (TSH), and urinary iodine concentration (UIC) were measured. Results: Positive TPOAb and TgAb were detected in 10.19% [CI 9.80-10.59] and 9.70% [CI 9.28-10.13] of the subjects, respectively. The prevalence of positive isolated TPOAb (i-TPOAb), positive isolated TgAb (i-TgAb), and double positive TPOAb and TgAb (d-Ab) was 4.52%, 4.16%, and 5.94%, respectively. The prevalence of thyroid antibody positivity was the highest in the iodine-deficient (UIC <100 μg/L) groups. The prevalence of i-TPOAb was inversely associated with more than adequate iodine intake (MAI) and excessive iodine intake (EI); the odds ratio (OR) was 0.89 [CI 0.81-0.98] for MAI and 0.90 [CI 0.81-0.99] for EI. We observed that i-TgAb, like i-TPOAb, was a high-risk factor for subnormal TSH levels (OR = 3.64 [CI 2.62-5.05]) and elevated TSH levels (OR = 1.62 [CI 1.49-1.77]). The prevalence of thyroid antibody positivity varied among five ethnic groups. Conclusions: After two decades of USI, the prevalence of thyroid antibody positivity has remained low. MAI and EI had an inverse relationship with TPOAb positivity, which reveals that UIC between 100 and 299 μg/L is optimal and safe for thyroid autoimmunity. These conclusions need to be confirmed in a follow-up study because this study was a cross-sectional study.”
In which case the results of this research would suggest that the actual amount of iodine that could be safely consumed by the general population would have been considerably higher than 299mcg per person per day, since that figure is just what many people have excreted ‘after’ the body has taken what it needed.
The amount of iodine excreted is roughly equal to that taken in. There will be a kind of equilibrium: Iodine freshly taken in + iodine bound as T3 and T4 in the body - iodine excreted, will balance out. The perceived safe max intake of iodine is as stated to maintain a steady-state level.
thanks so much for this diogenes very timely and my GP will definitely appreciate it. Test results just in show I’m over range for Selenium and under for zinc. Lots to digest here (pun intended) 🤣 🌱
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Since then, I've added more re CFS and Dr Sarah M. I'll find the list and post it over the next couple of days or so. [Sorry, often in the middle of have to 'take on'...] xox
I must make up a new list. 
Is thyroiditis autoimmune?
Autoimmune thyroiditis
