DT2 newly diagnosed, Hashimotos thyroiditis for 35 years

Jewiemax said:

I tried a low carb diet but GP told me to stop because I started to feel hypothyroid. Only did 8 weeks (50g of carbs per day). Need to look into this way more to learn about it all. Would like to know about the experience of others with both of these conditions, thanks. Am exercising more, (swimming and walking regularly) and still watching carb portions. Would like to know what others are doing to try and manage without medication.

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Hi there. Can I ask you what ".... I started to feel hypothyroid...." actually means?
The list of symptoms for hypothyroidism is incredibly long, but many of those symptoms are shared with other conditions, including diabetes, MS, ME, depression and many more.

I have both T2, and hypothyroidism. Mt hypothyroidism is cared for by an Encrinologist who supports my low carb diet, and further instructed that I adopt a gluten-free diet. I am well on these diets, plust my thyroid medication.

I’ve certainly heard claims low carb and thyroid don’t mix. However this https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/controversies#thyroid seems to say it’s typically not an issue.

What specific symptoms did you get and can you be sure it was thyroid not adapting to low carb?

Maybe you ease into it and ask your dr to monitor you closely to see if it effects you negatively or not and go from there. That would be my choice.

Thinking about this, @Jewiemax , did your doctor test your thyroid function when he instructed you change your diet?

Jewiemax said:

I wonder why I started to get hypothyroid symptoms on the low carb diet then?

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I use a low carb diet, which my Endo (who looks after me, related to my hypothyroidism) is fully supportive of it. After some investigations he suggested I use a gluten-free diet in addition., so I do that too.

There is a school of thought that says we need carbs to function, but that isn't very modern thinking these days, where low carb living is becoming better understood.

When your symptoms appeared,did your doctor test to see what was actually happening to your thyroid levels?

As you say, Hashimoto's is an auto-immune condition. By it's very nature, your antibodies can, and likely do fluctuate from time to time, irrespective of any dietary changes.

To be honest, as someone who uses diet to manage my T2, I would be miffed if I was being encouraged to prioritise one condition over another. Your body and some of it's functioning will take time to get used to any changes in diet.

I never know if I ought to respond or not when a thread wanders off from the original subject, so I am glad to see this has its own thread now.
I was told to reduce Thyroxine after an annual check showed I was over supplemented - which was a surprise as I had been on the 200 microgram dose for a very long time. I had two more tests at 3 month intervals and was dropped down each time until I levelled out in the normal range.

Jewiemax said:

Hi there, I am still learning about blood glucose and carbs myself. I am going to ask my GP for way more info given that I have had a reply stating the human body only need the equivalent of one teaspoon of sugar. Put like that it really makes you think about so much pushed at us by the food industry. I have posted in order to try to learn more myself

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It’s fairly likely they will quote the body needing 130g a day. But that is glucose not carbs. And it can be produced by gluconeogenesis instead. 5g (one teaspoon) is the circulating amount of glucose at any one time. Any more and it gets stored which is not desirable! Unless they are able to differentiate the two and converse on this I’d take whatever they say with a large pinch of salt.

Bear in mind Drs get very little nutritional training (hours) as standard - unless they choose to specialise - and this is set by authorities with their own preconceived ideas, dogma and government guidance. And drs also tend to read the same circulars, drug company provided info and government guidelines without going to the actual research themselves to see the newer discoveries since their training unless they have a personal interest.

Jewiemax said:

Thank you. I have Ehlers Danlos so I know a little about medics not getting adequate training etc! Hoping my endo can help when I speak with her though so far I am not sure of her - she tried to get me off her books although hypothyroidism is a lifelong condition and had she done this I would have lost my liothyronine medication!

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Hypothyroidism, per se ins not something usually managed by Endos, unless the case is complex, and/or the treatments in play require the provision of Consultant Only drugs. So, depending on your circumstances, your Endo may feel your GP should be capable of overseeing your management.

I take Liothyronine which, until recently was a universally "Red" drug, meaning it could only be used in exceptional circumstances, prescribed by a Consultant. In my area (and several others), Liothyronine is now an "Amber" drug, meaning a GP can prescribe it, but only on the direction of a Consultant. Thus far, my GP hasn't had anything to do with my thyroid management.

Jewiemax said:

I am going to ask my GP for way more info

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Unless you have struck lucky with your GP then the likely will know less than you do..