Is low carb bad for people with underactive thyroids?

[Pinkorchid]

With your other health problems as well as diabetes it is always just as well to check with your medical team that low carbing will suit you

 

[Kingsland]

Re the paleo diet - it was pointed out to me by my doctor, that ancient homo sapiens was not a particularly healthy specimen. Most, if not all, had intestinal worms, lice and ticks, poor teeth and bones and many had TB. A life span of 30 years was normal which gave them time to reproduce a child a year from puberty onwards(many babies died) - I suspect diabetics would be lucky to survive childhood and altogether it was a short tough life so its bad to know how much influence their diet had on them.
There's no doubt we eat too much processed, artificial food these days so getting back to basics makes sense ..... but paleo?

 

[Indy51]

Re the paleo diet - it was pointed out to me by my doctor, that ancient homo sapiens was not a particularly healthy specimen. Most, if not all, had intestinal worms, lice and ticks, poor teeth and bones and many had TB. A life span of 30 years was normal which gave them time to reproduce a child a year from puberty onwards(many babies died) - I suspect diabetics would be lucky to survive childhood and altogether it was a short tough life so its bad to know how much influence their diet had on them.
There's no doubt we eat too much processed, artificial food these days so getting back to basics makes sense ..... but paleo?

I think maybe your doc could stand to do more research. The description you give is of post-agriculturalists, not the paleolithic. Most anthropologists can tell the difference just by looking at stature, bone density and the state of their teeth.

I was recently reading an National Geographic article about the research and hunter gatherers actually had less children and more widely spaced than settled agriculturalists.

Interesting blogpost by Dr Michael Eades:
https://proteinpower.com/drmike/200...lth-in-agriculturalists-and-hunter-gatherers/

 

[mazz33]

Thanks for the replies.

In response to questions: I am on 125mcg thyroxine daily, was on 150 until I lost weight, expect most recent blood test is going to tell me to go back up to that since I regained the weight.

Doctor said the same sort of thing about the pain. I've been hypothyroid since I was 20 (nearly 40 now) and he seemed to be saying it was kind of inevitable I'd get diabetes as well. He puts the depression and pain down to me having both these conditions. Are we allowed to swear on here? Vaguely recall reading that we can't. But basically I'm "effed", healthwise. He said there's not much chance of me losing weight permanently. He's given up treating my depression, basically asking me what I wanted him to do, since none of the 7 different meds helped me.

I sound like a proper negative person here! But I promise I'm actually quite positive, and I'm a fighter. I set my own business up earlier this year as a freelancer, when I should probably be on DLA or something. I'm determined to improve things, every day I try. Some days it does get to me though.

I will be seeing the diabetes nurse soon so I will sound her out about low carb but I fear she might just have to stick to the script re: the diet sheet with the high carbs. But I'll see what she says.

 

[Brunneria]

My doc wasnt interested in testing for vit d deficiency - so i paid £28 and had it done privately in a NHS lab.

Some of the best money i have ever spent. Supplementing D3 has made a big difference to my mood (like a grey cloud lifting) and to my muscle aches -which i had experienced for YEARS.

D3 also helps prevent osteoporosis and reduces cancer risk, so i see it as a long term investment in many ways.

 

[uart]

Re the paleo diet - it was pointed out to me by my doctor, that ancient homo sapiens was not a particularly healthy specimen. Most, if not all, had intestinal worms, lice and ticks, poor teeth and bones and many had TB. A life span of 30 years was normal which gave them time to reproduce a child a year from puberty onwards(many babies died) - I suspect diabetics would be lucky to survive childhood and altogether it was a short tough life so its bad to know how much influence their diet had on them.
There's no doubt we eat too much processed, artificial food these days so getting back to basics makes sense ..... but paleo?

That is so full of "straw man" arguments and irrelevances that's it's just not funny. For a start we are talking about LCHF here, not paleo. And although they have similarities they are not really the same thing.

An LCHF diet offers a huge range of foods from all major food groups - loads of available fresh vegetables, meat, fish, dairy, nuts and berries, and of course fresh fruit albeit in somewhat restricted types/quantities. You can be on LCHF and still have an extremely healthy and varied diet!

And just for the record, adopting an LCHF diet doesn't involve any of the following.

- It doesn't involve deliberately infesting yourself with parasites.

- It doesn't involve adopting primitive birthing practices to try and ensure extremely high infant mortality rates.

- It doesn't involve living in a jungle or cave and exposing yourself to predation by wild animals.

- It doesn't involve shunning all modern medicine, nor does it involve sticking your head in a Sabre Tooth Tiger's mouth. Seriously, it doesn't.

So please let you doctor know all of this, because they are obviously pretty confused if they believe that all of Paleo man's woes were due only to eating a low carb diet.

 

[mazz33]

My doc wasnt interested in testing for vit d deficiency - so i paid £28 and had it done privately in a NHS lab.

Some of the best money i have ever spent. Supplementing D3 has made a big difference to my mood (like a grey cloud lifting) and to my muscle aches -which i had experienced for YEARS.

D3 also helps prevent osteoporosis and reduces cancer risk, so i see it as a long term investment in many ways.

What's the difference between D and D3? Google wasn't helpful.

 

[Brunneria]

Vitamin D supplements come in various forms.
D3 is the most beneficial and effective supplement.
- basically it is the most bio-available

By the way, if anyone decides to order their own Vit D tests, then shop around - use a reputable lab, and make sure you get the best assay (type of test). Some are more informative than others...

 

[fumanchu]

What kind of dose of D3 is everybody taking? My hubby is on 5000iu daily and I wonder if that's too high.

 

[Indy51]

What kind of dose of D3 is everybody taking? My hubby is on 5000iu daily and I wonder if that's too high.

I take 2,000iu.

 

[Brunneria]

https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/blog/how-do-we-know-how-much-vitamin-d-you-make/

This is an interesting article, suggesting that 5,000 iu may be a very good year round amount.

It also (astonishingly) suggests that some individuals may make up to 50,000 iu in a day from sun exposure, under certain circumstances.

Personally, i usually take 5,000 but if i forget, i happily double up on the next day.

More importantly, @fumanchu , is your husband taking balancing amounts of Vit K? Both vits are needed together for the body to effectively utilise the bit D.



Edited by Moderator to add that there are contraindications for Vitamin K supplements.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/395263-vitamin-k-contraindications/

 

[Charisma_1630]

May I ask if you're on thyroxine and if so what dose? Has it changed since your pregnancy?

I'm on levothyroxine 75mg. I was told to stop all medication straight after giving birth so I did and felt so weak for a long time after. I put it down to being a tired new mum but finally got seen by a doctor and was under active thyroid and low iron! Took a few months to get thyroid medication right but i feel fine since!

 

[mazz33]

I'm on levothyroxine 75mg. I was told to stop all medication straight after giving birth so I did and felt so weak for a long time after. I put it down to being a tired new mum but finally got seen by a doctor and was under active thyroid and low iron! Took a few months to get thyroid medication right but i feel fine since!

Glad you're feeling better!

 

[Chook]

I'm on Levothyroxine too. It never occurred to me that LCMF might be harmful. My blood tests are coming back improved on all counts and I feel the healthiest I have been for the last 20 years, possibly longer.

Low carbing might not suit you but you will never know until you give it a fair try. Just be warned though, you might feel a bit rough for a few days in the first couple of weeks, this is called 'carb flu' and is your body adjusting to your new way of eating. It is perfectly normal and will pass.

 

[SunnyExpat]

I'm on Levothyroxine too. It never occurred to me that LCMF might be harmful. My blood tests are coming back improved on all counts and I feel the healthiest I have been for the last 20 years, possibly longer.

Low carbing might not suit you but you will never know until you give it a fair try. Just be warned though, you might feel a bit rough for a few days in the first couple of weeks, this is called 'carb flu' and is your body adjusting to your new way of eating. It is perfectly normal and will pass.

The internet is a great place, but sometimes you need to look for the bad as well as the good in all things.
Glad you were fortunate this time though.

 

[fumanchu]

More importantly, @fumanchu , is your husband taking balancing amounts of Vit K? Both vits are needed together for the body to effectively utilise the vit D.[/QUOTE]
Oh I didnt know this - I will go and read the label on the multivits we take, thank you.

 

[lizdeluz]

https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/blog/how-do-we-know-how-much-vitamin-d-you-make/

This is an interesting article, suggesting that 5,000 iu may be a very good year round amount.

It also (astonishingly) suggests that some individuals may make up to 50,000 iu in a day from sun exposure, under certain circumstances.

Personally, i usually take 5,000 but if i forget, i happily double up on the next day.

More importantly, @fumanchu , is your husband taking balancing amounts of Vit K? Both vits are needed together for the body to effectively utilise the vit D.

Is it harmful to take these supplements if you don't need them? ie, would I need to be tested before self-prescribing? My consultant recommended taking Vit D during the winter but I didn't ask enough questions at the time.

 

[Totto]

Thanks for the replies.

In response to questions: I am on 125mcg thyroxine daily, was on 150 until I lost weight, expect most recent blood test is going to tell me to go back up to that since I regained the weight.

Doctor said the same sort of thing about the pain. I've been hypothyroid since I was 20 (nearly 40 now) and he seemed to be saying it was kind of inevitable I'd get diabetes as well. He puts the depression and pain down to me having both these conditions. Are we allowed to swear on here? Vaguely recall reading that we can't. But basically I'm "effed", healthwise. He said there's not much chance of me losing weight permanently. He's given up treating my depression, basically asking me what I wanted him to do, since none of the 7 different meds helped me.

I sound like a proper negative person here! But I promise I'm actually quite positive, and I'm a fighter. I set my own business up earlier this year as a freelancer, when I should probably be on DLA or something. I'm determined to improve things, every day I try. Some days it does get to me though.

I will be seeing the diabetes nurse soon so I will sound her out about low carb but I fear she might just have to stick to the script re: the diet sheet with the high carbs. But I'll see what she says.

Fellow thyroid sufferer here. I found levo didn´t do much for me and self medicate with NDT, that is natural dessicated thyroid extract and it's wonderful. It is possible to get it on a named patient license if you can find a doctor who knows about these things. First you could ask to get to try T3 along with levo. It's possible, likely even, that your joint pain, depression and weight problems are to do with too low thyroid meds/wrong meds.

I find LCHF very good for my thyroid level. If you are interested you could also check Wahl's protocol, I think she has a lower carb version.