Has anyone found this to be a problem since going Low Carb?

[Cocosilk]

Hormones and thyroid function: Low carb seems to lower T3 which can lead to hypothyroidism.

https://www.precisionnutrition.com/low-carb-diets

And would also mean that low carb may help hyperthyroidism?

 

[JoKalsbeek]

....With low carb and keto I dropped weight and could reduce my thyroid meds (Hashimoto's)... Was at 175 micrograms per day, am now at 137,5 micrograms. *shrug* Not very scientific, but it did have an impact and I need less thyroid hormone to get by.

 

[Goonergal]

@Cocosilk I’m not aware of the concerns you raise, but the article you quote is an opinion piece with no references or sources.
I wouldn’t be depending on it. I think what @JoKalsbeek is saying indicates the reverse in her case.

Are you worried about thyroid issues?

 

[1spuds]

Dunno.Im getting tested in September,let you know of any med changes.

 

[zand]

This is just my opinion. In a couple of places the article states low carb and low calorie. I only do low carb. I think it's having calories too low for too long that messes up the thyroid. Since low carbing I have made an effort to increase calories with extra fat.

As for immune system problems mine improved dramatically when I stopped calorie counting and started low carbing.

People assume that low carbing means low cal as you are cutting out one food group. I make an effort never to have less than 1200 cals per day and try to have 1800 or more.

 

[Tophat1900]

@Cocosilk I’m not aware of the concerns you raise, but the article you quote is an opinion piece with no references or sources.
I wouldn’t be depending on it. I think what @JoKalsbeek is saying indicates the reverse in her case.

Are you worried about thyroid issues?

The article does have references. It's way down, a blue text link you click on to access them. I didn't read them. Nor would I take nutritional advice from that author who thinks whole grains are not inflammatory and that raised insulin doesn't cause fat storage and then goes on to state "maybe" " maybe not" on his own questions.

I don't know how it affects thyroid, but As @zand points out, the author frequently quotes low carbing in association with low calorie.... this is imo a bit sneaky, maybe even deceitful or possibly he doesn't understand what low carbing really is. He seems to not understand the role of insulin in weight gain and loss. It's not the low carbing that causes issues, it's the lack of food imo which translates to a lack of nutrients... deprive yourself of essential nutrients such as amino acids, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins and you expose yourself to deficiencies and health issues.

The problem isn't that low carb diets have got it all wrong as the author states, the problem is with the misinterpretation (Whether deliberate or simply misunderstood) by dieticians and health industry people who are still pushing the you must eat carbs and whole grains are healthy dogma, because that's what they have been taught. Eat less, move more.

I think a diet deficient in the essentials would have far greater impact on health in general, then a diet low in carbohydrate. Or our ancestors would of died out long ago and we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Just my 2c worth.

 

[DCUKMod]

Hormones and thyroid function: Low carb seems to lower T3 which can lead to hypothyroidism.

https://www.precisionnutrition.com/low-carb-diets

And would also mean that low carb may help hyperthyroidism?

I haven't read that article (can't find a date for it), but have read similar, as my thyroid function seems to have gone off a cliff in recent years.

Much of what I have read suggests that those subjects using a LC carb diet were in weight loss mode and had effectively begun slowing their metabolism. Slower metabolisms effectively require less matabolic hormones, therefore it seems from blood tests that thyroid performance has degraged. Additionally this article talks about cyclist subjects doing some sort of exercise routine test, then after 3 days on a LC they couldn't do the same routine. How many people onhere have we seen having a "felling well" dip or carb flu, when adopting a LC diet.

In the scan I gave it I couldn't see any reference to pre-LC diets, but if these people are exercising fuelled by sugar, then expect the same or better performance after 3 days on a LC regime, I'd probably call that optimistic, in the short term.

There are some who feel they do better with a degree of carb cycling (not bicycles were involved in the making of this statement), whereby every few days/weeks or whatever, they have carbier days, to keep their metabolic processes perky. I don't conciously adopt that approach, but my natural eating patterns probably achieve it anyway. For instance, on Saturday, we had curry, and I have a couple of spoons of rice (which has always been OK for me), then yesterday I had a couple of roast potatoes yesterday, with our Sunday roast, so with all else I ate yesterday, my carb count would have been a bit up on the usual. On that basis, I reckon I carb cycle.

Really, the only way you would know if your thyroid function had changed over the period you had been low carbing would have been to have have a fullthyroid panel, before starting, but bearing in mind you would and still do have pregnancy and post-partum hormones in play, you will likely struggle to have an control/benchmark bloods.

On a final note, my metabolism isn't slow. I consume 2000-2500 calories a day to maintain my 48.5kg weight. If I eat less, I lose, but then I have never been anything typical in my life. I reckon I'm probably even atypically, atypical.

Only you can decide your way forward.

 

[HSSS]

My thyroid is monitored as half of it got cut out 18months ago fearing, but luckily not, a tumour. It’s actually improved slightly, but then finally so has my ferretin (a smidge over the minimum at last) so maybe that’s it. It certainly hasn’t got worse. All very individual experience but then so is the article an individual opinion

 

[Cocosilk]

@Cocosilk I’m not aware of the concerns you raise, but the article you quote is an opinion piece with no references or sources.
I wouldn’t be depending on it. I think what @JoKalsbeek is saying indicates the reverse in her case.

Are you worried about thyroid issues?

I know a lot of these articles on the web have no evidence for their claims and it's really good to hear from people who have experienced something for themselves.

I just thought of having my thyroid checked in case it's contributing to the heart palpitations I've been having more of over the past few months. My OB said my thyroid was fine during pregnancy but since that was months ago he said I could test again. I'm just trying to rule out the obvious.
It's either sleep deprivation and stress with baby no 3 and 2 other littlies or maybe salt or potassium imbalance from keto/low carb.
But, in case it's something else, it doesn't hurt to check. I've never had my heart checked for a murmur either but I think someone would have picked that up during one of my pregnancies of there was a problem.
I had a goitre once in my 20s but never really took any more notice and it obviously resolved itself if my thyroid was okay a few months ago.

 

[Cocosilk]

The article does have references. It's way down, a blue text link you click on to access them. I didn't read them. Nor would I take nutritional advice from that author who thinks whole grains are not inflammatory and that raised insulin doesn't cause fat storage and then goes on to state "maybe" " maybe not" on his own questions.

I don't know how it affects thyroid, but As @zand points out, the author frequently quotes low carbing in association with low calorie.... this is imo a bit sneaky, maybe even deceitful or possibly he doesn't understand what low carbing really is. He seems to not understand the role of insulin in weight gain and loss. It's not the low carbing that causes issues, it's the lack of food imo which translates to a lack of nutrients... deprive yourself of essential nutrients such as amino acids, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins and you expose yourself to deficiencies and health issues.

The problem isn't that low carb diets have got it all wrong as the author states, the problem is with the misinterpretation (Whether deliberate or simply misunderstood) by dieticians and health industry people who are still pushing the you must eat carbs and whole grains are healthy dogma, because that's what they have been taught. Eat less, move more.

I think a diet deficient in the essentials would have far greater impact on health in general, then a diet low in carbohydrate. Or our ancestors would of died out long ago and we wouldn't be having this conversation.

Just my 2c worth.

How about this guy? He seems to have quite a following https://chriskresser.com/is-a-low-c...IObj9wlDcjHL4qE6mZoMSuk6xHMFyfyRoS2ThdfScaVs8

 

[Tophat1900]

I know a lot of these articles on the web have no evidence for their claims and it's really good to hear from people who have experienced something for themselves.

I just thought of having my thyroid checked in case it's contributing to the heart palpitations I've been having more of over the past few months. My OB said my thyroid was fine during pregnancy but since that was months ago he said I could test again. I'm just trying to rule out the obvious.
It's either sleep deprivation and stress with baby no 3 and 2 other littlies or maybe salt or potassium imbalance from keto/low carb.
But, in case it's something else, it doesn't hurt to check. I've never had my heart checked for a murmur either but I think someone would have picked that up during one of my pregnancies of there was a problem.
I had a goitre once in my 20s but never really took any more notice and it obviously resolved itself if my thyroid was okay a few months ago.

No, it doesn't hurt to get it checked. Peace of mind is important too, may help you sleep a little better.

I find one of the most often neglected aspects of low carbing and keto are electrolytes. People seem to know about drinking enough fluids when starting out on either diet, but often neglect the salt part. A lot of palpitation issues seem to be magnesium related or salt etc. I get palpitations if I don't use enough salt, eat a bit of salt and palpitations disappear. Of course, not all palpitations are because of electrolyte imbalances and magnesium deficiency. So, worth getting it checked if it worries you.

 

[Diakat]

@Cocosilk you seem to be posting a few threads where you wonder if symptoms are due to low carb. From what I recall of your history you just about scraped into GD and the repeat oral test after delivery was affected by low carb eating.
So my questions would be, do you feel generally in better health with the lc diet than you did before pregnancy? Have you arranged a health check to investigate the niggles you are experiencing? Assessing results and feelings of health seem more productive than internet articles of dubious provenance.

 

[Cocosilk]

@Cocosilk you seem to be posting a few threads where you wonder if symptoms are due to low carb. From what I recall of your history you just about scraped into GD and the repeat oral test after delivery was affected by low carb eating.
So my questions would be, do you feel generally in better health with the lc diet than you did before pregnancy? Have you arranged a health check to investigate the niggles you are experiencing? Assessing results and feelings of health seem more productive than internet articles of dubious provenance.

I don't know for sure if my follow up GTT result was solely affected by low carb or whether it lingers now as a glucose intolerance. I dared to eat a couple of pieces of a bread thing that my husband made the other week, just plain flour not sourdough this time, high GI stuff, and pretty quickly my 1h spike was 10mmol and it was still in the 9.7 mmol at 2 hours. That could also have been after a low carb day before so maybe that is just the last meal response happening, but I notice the blood sugar drop a little more than it should at the 3 - 4 hour mark as well and I get the shakes and a bit dizzy sometimes so I'm assuming I do have some lingering glucose intolerance. The note on the GTT did say "may have glucose intolerance" but my doctor was like "You don't have diabetes, but let's talk about your cholesterol". She's very young and not very experienced and was freaking out about my cholesterol and just brushed off my blood glucose thing and in reality, I'm less concerned about my cholesterol after reading that I shouldn't have even bothered with a cholesterol test at 8 weeks postpartum because I was still healing from surgery and am breastfeeding, and it's normal to have somewhat elevated cholesterol and more concerned about my blood glucose and whether or not to introduce more carbs while breastfeeding. I'm pretty sure any dietician here would tell me that of course I should be eating more carbs - they also tell diabetics to eat Cornflakes though.

I liked some things about eating low carb / keto once I got used to it I did feel better - I felt a whole lot less bloated, which was great after years of feeling so big in the tummy with the pregnancies. But it has been hard while breastfeeding, and as Tophat1900 said, it may well be electrolytes and I knew this from advice others had given me so I started drinking a miso soup before bed and bought electrolyte tablets to have when I thought I might be extra dehydrated. I also usually take Magnesium supplements.
I'd have days where it seems to go away, the heart palpitations, but then other days when they come back. I'm probably just sleep deprived and it's wearing me down but I think the low carb contributes - maybe it makes my body release even more cortisol than I already have from being woken in the night by my babies. So I started trying to reintroduce carbs recently just to see how I would feel. I'm not really liking that either - I look pregnant again suddenly! ha ha But I obviously just gained back the couple of kilos of fluids that I had lost on keto (just when I thought I was back to pre-baby weight..) But it's these spikes up to 10 mmol at one hour as well that I'm not sure are great to be repeating. So I started pulling back on the carbs again yesterday just as an instinct. I really was hoping a doctor would supervise me on a low carb diet while breastfeeding but the doctor I saw told me to stop eating like that and go back to normal eating- say, a Mediterranean diet.

Anyway, I do plan to go to a doctor again one of these days. It's just tricky to organise at the moment with the kids and I'm kind of waiting to see whether to go back to keto for a few weeks first and then have a blood test to see if my electrolytes really are out or not. They were okay at last blood test but I guess they can change from day to day depending what you eat but I'm not sure I would be getting symptoms if they were only out for a day here and there.

I also plan to ask for a HbA1c one of these days too but it makes no sense to do it now while I have been testing at home anyway. If I am eating low carb I know my HbA1c should be fine. I'm actually nervous to go back to eating carbs liberally in case I do end up heading for diabetes. But the only way to know if I am would be to do just that - eat carbs then test again.

Sometimes I think I'm just a big old hypochondriac anyway, you know, worrying for nothing. Gives me something to do in the dark of night after my kids are asleep and before the baby wakes again. I heard a doctor talking about how so many people use their visits to doctors as a kind of social connection - as in, if they didn't have a doctor's appointment, they would have no other people in their lives socially, and I imagine people use a forum like this for similar reasons. When you're sitting alone wondering about your health, you can come to a forum and share your worries with others, some of whom are doing exactly the same thing.. ha ha Some of us are properly sick and others just think they are, right? I know I can be hypochondriac so I'm using the advice from the lovely people on this forum as a sounding board so I don't waste my time at a doctor's appointment until I really need one.

 

[jaroge21]

I have just followed this thread because I got curious about the thyroid topic. I am planning to have my thyroid checked. I'm continuously losing weight now. I mean I actually went on a super strict diet starting in March this year (with no rice) just eating fruits, vegetables, and fish. However, I have now started to go back to eating rice and more amount of food this time because O want to gain back my weight but it doesn't seem effective as I'm still thin and light.

I have researched about hyperthyroidism and one of the symptoms I saw was weight loss. I also have palpitations and difficulty breathing sometimes so I'm worried if I have this problem. Hopefully not.

 

[Cocosilk]

I have just followed this thread because I got curious about the thyroid topic. I am planning to have my thyroid checked. I'm continuously losing weight now. I mean I actually went on a super strict diet starting in March this year (with no rice) just eating fruits, vegetables, and fish. However, I have now started to go back to eating rice and more amount of food this time because O want to gain back my weight but it doesn't seem effective as I'm still thin and light.

I have researched about hyperthyroidism and one of the symptoms I saw was weight loss. I also have palpitations and difficulty breathing sometimes so I'm worried if I have this problem. Hopefully not.

Doesn't sound good having breathing difficulties on top of palpitations. Let us know when you get the test if it turns out to be a thyroid problem.
As far as what you ate eating, all I know is I have the opposite problem because I still need to lose weight. I eat quite a lot of cream, milk, cheese, butter, pork fat, nuts, olive oil, meat, fish and vegetables but have limited fruits and grains. I can safely say I am in no danger of being underweight. If you are able to eat more of those things, that might help you gain some weight back.

 

[DCUKMod]

I have just followed this thread because I got curious about the thyroid topic. I am planning to have my thyroid checked. I'm continuously losing weight now. I mean I actually went on a super strict diet starting in March this year (with no rice) just eating fruits, vegetables, and fish. However, I have now started to go back to eating rice and more amount of food this time because O want to gain back my weight but it doesn't seem effective as I'm still thin and light.

I have researched about hyperthyroidism and one of the symptoms I saw was weight loss. I also have palpitations and difficulty breathing sometimes so I'm worried if I have this problem. Hopefully not.

Jaroge - If you have palpitations and breathing issues, you should be checked out as soon as you can. I'm not saying you are suffering from anything worrying. I couldn't possibly know, but those symptoms are implicated with many conditions - some of which would be a big concern.

 

[Goonergal]

I know a lot of these articles on the web have no evidence for their claims and it's really good to hear from people who have experienced something for themselves.

I just thought of having my thyroid checked in case it's contributing to the heart palpitations I've been having more of over the past few months. My OB said my thyroid was fine during pregnancy but since that was months ago he said I could test again. I'm just trying to rule out the obvious.
It's either sleep deprivation and stress with baby no 3 and 2 other littlies or maybe salt or potassium imbalance from keto/low carb.
But, in case it's something else, it doesn't hurt to check. I've never had my heart checked for a murmur either but I think someone would have picked that up during one of my pregnancies of there was a problem.
I had a goitre once in my 20s but never really took any more notice and it obviously resolved itself if my thyroid was okay a few months ago.

Definitely doesn’t hurt to check. I’ve just had mine checked - for different reasons - and am awaiting the results. Hope you get to the bottom of your symptoms.

 

[TriciaWs]

My regular blood tests haven't shown any issues, and I get tested as part of the full spectrum because my mother and sister had problems with low thyroid hormones. In fact a year in and my liver function had improved (down into the normal range after being slightly high) plus everything is fine except they are concerned my total cholesterol, LDL and HDL all went up a little in the last 3 months - I think it might be due to a new drug so I'm reducing the dose ready for a retest.

 

[1spuds]

We would rather see you and not find anything than not see you and you have a problem.

If you have any concerns,address them.Thats the smart move.Especially...Im dizzy,I have a lump,skin looks different,I feel palpitations,feel numb,short of breath,swelling....those kind of things that could possibly be serious or not.....please come in.

Lots of smart people on this thread today who are going to see their Dr IMO.

 

[1spuds]

"and I get the shakes and a bit dizzy sometimes so I'm assuming .......and as Tophat1900 said, it may well be electrolytes and I knew this from advice others had given me so I started drinking a miso soup before bed and bought electrolyte tablets to have when I thought I might be extra dehydrated. I also usually take Magnesium supplements.

I'd have days where it seems to go away, the heart palpitations, but then other days when they come back.

Anyway, I do plan to go to a doctor again one of these days.

I also plan to ask for a HbA1c one of these days too

Sometimes I think I'm just a big old hypochondriac anyway, you know, worrying for nothing. I heard a doctor talking about how so many people use their visits to doctors as a kind of social connection - Some of us are properly sick and others just think they are, right?

You are the perfect example of somebody with a need for seeing the Dr and not taking up time better spent elsewhere.... and should see Dr in my opinion.Your symptoms are certainly worth addressing and having your healthcare team evaluate,you wont be wasting their time IMO.And if nothing is amiss then all the better.

As an RN I loved seeing patients who take charge and get possible issues addressed.
Actually found true hypochondriacs were few and far between.