The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland in the throat. Having hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid means that this gland produces less of its hormones than what the body requires.
If you don’t have enough thyroid hormone, your body process slows down. The thyroid controls how your body performs the function of metabolism by using energy from the food that you consume. We all are well aware of the importance metabolism plays in our everyday life. It affects your body’s temperature, how many calories you burn, and also your heartbeat. Even when people are aiming to lose weight, having a slow metabolism does no benefit. The aim should always be to follow steps to improve your thyroid function to avoid these situations from arising or to better them.
Here is a listing of some major nutrients one should include to improve their thyroid function :
1. Iodine
If you’re running low on iodine, the possibility of hypothyroidism increases by a lot. Iodine is one of the most important minerals that is required for the formation of thyroid hormones. However, this can be overcome very easily. Adding iodized salt to your food should help you increase the level of iodine you’re consuming on a daily basis and help you overcome the deficiency if any.
However, too much iodine is also not good as it will only confuse your thyroid causing it to produce extra thyroid hormones. This leads to a phenomenon called the Wolff-Chaikoff effect.
2. Selenomethionine
Several studies have shown that selenium supplements can actually reduce the thyroid peroxidase antibodies (TPO) as well as also lower the gravity of the symptoms of hypothyroidism. It contributes to the antioxidant defense in the thyroid by extracting the oxygen free radicals produced during the production of the thyroid hormones.
3. Vitamin D
The most natural source of vitamin D is the sun, and soaking the vitamin directly is the best way to load up in case you have insufficiency. A gene in Vitamin D was conferred to predispose people to autoimmune thyroid disease including Graves’ disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
4. Zinc
Deficiency in zinc can lead to hypothyroidism, as it is one of the major elements for the synthesis of the thyroid hormone. Zinc is imperative for proper thyroid hormone metabolism, whose paucity may lead to decreased thyroid hormone and resting metabolic rate. Therefore, one should consult a doctor and start taking sufficient supplements to fill in the void.
Diet can have a significant influence on the symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Some foods may ameliorate symptoms while others may make them worse or interfere with medication.
