Bone health

[Calceolaria]

I think I’ve asked this but I’m not sure I understood. Please be patient with me.

If calcium and therefore also calcium rich foods - dairy obvs but also green leafy veg, soya etc, suppress levothyroxine, what do we do for bone healthy foods?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

calcium doesn’t suppress levothyroxine

It does reduce absorption so ideally avoid calcium rich foods within 4 hours of taking levothyroxine

One reason taking levothyroxine at bedtime often more effective

Important to maintain good vitamin D and magnesium for good bone health

[Calceolaria in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks, that’s helpful.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

If I'm getting your question right, it is the interference between levothyroxine and calcium in your stomach, etc., that is the issue. Which can happen if you consume relatively high calcium foods within two or so hours of taking levothyroxine.

Having a diet with sensible levels of calcium is fine. There are many of us who consume significant calcium in many forms. I particularly like cheese and butter!

You might also find some interest in this recent post of mine:

Iron Deficiency and Iron Deficiency Anemia: Potential Risk Factors in Bone Loss

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Calceolaria in reply to helvella]

Thank you. Interesting reading. More to mull over. May I ask if you drink dairy milk?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Calceolaria]

No - but not because I won't. Simply that I take tea and coffee without milk. So there is rarely any milk around.

I do eat yogurt - which I make myself from local organic dairy milk. And will use some in leek and potato soup, etc.

[Calceolaria in reply to helvella]

Thanks again. I’m probably about to return to dairy outside the timing corridor as I don’t think lack of it has made any difference. I’m also trying gluten free but I don’t think that has made a difference either. Alternatives are ok so I’ll carry on with that though. I don’t have coeliac.

[FallingInReverse in reply to Calceolaria]

Hi - I used to drink a 3/4 - 1 gallon of dairy milk a day. Pretty much since I was a kid. Sounds crazy I know! But I stopped about 6 months ago (around age 50 : ) so 40 years of lots of milk!!! ) but did so when I realized the impact on the thyroid hormones I was taking.

So now I limit it by the 4 hour time window - and it’s also limited by needing a more well balanced diet, which is impossible when getting so many of one’s daily calorie requirement from milk alone. I was a runner for a while and so used to have a lot of room for more calories overall.

Before I was hypo diagnosed, I did stop drinking milk for about 3 months maybe more, and it made zero difference in my health/how I felt so determined dairy is not a problem for me. I barely have any now bc of the above restrictions, and it has not had any measurable impact as far as I can tell. But that’s just me!

[Calceolaria in reply to FallingInReverse]

Thanks again. I’ve been doing something similar and have come to the same conclusion - removing dairy doesn’t seem to have made an impact. I think it’s going to be the same with gluten too - I don’t have coeliac anyway but I thought it was worth a try as there are supposed to be benefits. However, giving up gluten isn’t much of a challenge as there are so many alternatives.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Calceolaria]

I am strictly dairy free since 2022

Been as helpful as gluten free, so I would never go back

I do take some calcium supplement daily since cutting dairy

But more importantly I keep vitamin D and magnesium levels up

[FallingInReverse in reply to SlowDragon]

Gluten free is on my action list at SD’s encouragement as noted despite negative for celiacs it’s worth trying for sure. But I’ve sequenced it down a few more titration and iron correction rounds. Ferritin is dire for me, and I’m having trouble enough eating iron rich foods to cut out gluten now. I don’t even know what I’d eat.

Magnesium is also on that list… probably in the cards for me in the next couple months. It’s very trendy now too! My daughters friends take it before bed… and so I want to understand it before I jump in lest I (or my daughter) start taking another supplement without understanding the mechanism.

For another post!

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to FallingInReverse]

Most foods that contain gluten don’t contain iron …..gluten is beige carbs generally…..bread, pasta, cakes etc

List of iron rich foods

dailyiron.net

[FallingInReverse in reply to SlowDragon]

Fair point and thank you - and I might be closer than I think actually : ) but also know what you say - you can’t just reduce gluten but eliminate entirely. I am skilling up on so many things so I’ve tucked this away for when I’m ready to go all in!

[FallingInReverse]

I stand by a wide 4 hour gap… ie, take meds morning and noon… by 5 pm I’m in the clear! Then by 8 pm (4 hours in advance of my midnight Lio) I shut it down again : )

Also, I’ve just learned up on Vit D…. And have done a pop quiz with everyone I know… because with the exception of one person in a whole bunch, no one else (including me) had any idea that Vitamin D is for bone and teeth health. There are also immune system benefits, but largely it’s for calcium related mechanisms of bones and teeth. But people think D and think “sunshine” and don’t even know !

With that in mind, it’s recommended that you take your D3 supplements with mk-7 (generally 100 mcg of vit K for every 1000 of Vit d) as without enough K, the D stays in your veins and calcifies there, but the co-factor K will help it find its way into your bones.

[Calceolaria in reply to FallingInReverse]

Thank you. Sounds like you have it sorted. I do take my D with K2 and I’d forgotten the bone/teeth connection!