Unlocking the Truth: How the Carnivore Diet Impacts Hashimoto's Disease Like Never Before

The carnivore diet, a highly restrictive dietary approach, has garnered attention for its potential effects on various health conditions. This article delves into the relationship between the carnivore diet and Hashimoto's disease, an autoimmune disorder affecting the thyroid gland.

Understanding the Thyroid and Hashimoto's Disease

The thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the neck, plays a crucial role in regulating metabolism, growth, and development by producing and releasing thyroid hormones. These hormones, primarily thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), influence virtually every cell and organ in the body. T3 is the active form that influences your cells and metabolism. The thyroid also secretes calcitonin, which helps manage blood calcium levels.

The hypothalamus emits thyroid-releasing hormone (TRH), which prompts the pituitary gland to generate and release thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH triggers the thyroid gland to produce T4 and T3. Approximately 80% of the hormones produced by the thyroid in response to TSH is T4, and 20% is T3. Iodine, obtained from sources like seafood, dairy products, eggs, and liver, is an essential mineral for thyroid hormone production. Tyrosine, an amino acid, also serves as the foundation for thyroid hormone synthesis. A feedback loop controls this sequence of hormonal interactions: elevated levels of T3 and T4 inhibit the release of TRH (and consequently TSH). Conversely, when T3 and T4 levels decrease, the feedback loop reactivates.

Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is an autoimmune condition where the body's immune system mistakenly attacks and gradually destroys thyroid tissue via lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that are part of your immune system, leading to insufficient thyroid hormone production. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is one of the most common thyroid disorders in the United States and other developed countries. Even when treated with medication, its symptoms may significantly affect quality of life.

The Carnivore Diet: An Overview

The carnivore diet involves consuming exclusively animal products, such as meat, fish, eggs, and certain dairy products, while eliminating all plant-based foods, including fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes. Proponents of this diet believe that humans are biologically designed to thrive on a predominantly meat-based diet.

Potential Benefits of the Carnivore Diet for Hypothyroidism

For individuals with hypothyroidism, a meat-heavy diet like the carnivore diet may offer some potential benefits:

T4 to T3 Conversion: The high protein content in the carnivore diet plays a critical role in converting the thyroid hormone T4 to its active form, T3, which is essential for maintaining a healthy metabolism and overall thyroid function.
Nutrient Density: Red meat is an excellent source of iron, zinc, and selenium, nutrients essential for thyroid hormone production and proper function. Grass-fed beef, in particular, contains higher amounts of Vitamin A and other antioxidants, which are needed to activate thyroid hormone receptors and can also reduce inflammation.
Essential Amino Acids: Some amino acids in meat proteins are essential for thyroid function and must be obtained through diet. A protein-rich diet ensures that individuals with hypothyroidism receive these necessary amino acids.
Muscle Mass: Protein helps build and maintain muscle mass, which is vital for people with hypothyroidism as they often struggle with a slower metabolism. Increased muscle mass can help boost metabolic rate.
Satiety and Weight Management: Protein can increase satiety and help manage hunger, which is beneficial for weight control. This is particularly important for hypothyroid patients who may experience weight gain due to a slowed metabolism.

Potential Downsides of the Carnivore Diet for Hypothyroidism

Despite the potential benefits, a meat-heavy diet like the carnivore diet has some potential risks for individuals with hypothyroidism:

Interference with Thyroid Hormone Production: Certain foods, like fatty meats, may interfere with the production of thyroid hormones. Fats may also interfere with the thyroid’s ability to produce hormones, and some healthcare professionals recommend reducing the intake of fatty cuts of meat.
Negative Impact on Thyroid Hormone Levels: Research has also demonstrated that a diet high in red meat and low in carbohydrates could negatively impact thyroid hormone levels.
Nutritional Imbalances: A diet too heavy in protein may also lead to nutritional imbalances, where other essential nutrients like fiber, vitamins, and minerals are not consumed in adequate amounts. This can affect overall health and may not support optimal thyroid function.
Increased Health Risks: Eating a diet heavy on meat, especially red and processed meats, can lead to other adverse side effects and health risks. Regularly consuming red and processed meats has been linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers, especially colorectal cancer.
Digestive Issues: A meat-heavy diet may lead to poor digestion, bloating, constipation, or diarrhea due to the lack of fiber, which is important for digestion and overall health, especially for thyroid patients.
Dehydration: The high protein content in a meat-rich diet can lead to dehydration, as the body needs more water to process the protein and eliminate waste products.
Fatigue and Meat Sweats: Eating too much meat can cause fatigue, especially after large meals, and lead to the phenomenon known as "meat sweats," which involves excessive sweating some people experience after eating a protein-rich meat-based meal.

The Carnivore Diet and Thyroid Hormone Levels

Transitioning to a diet low in carbohydrates can lead to alterations in thyroid hormone concentrations for certain individuals. Some interpret the drop in active thyroid hormone (T3) as evidence that carbohydrate limitation hampers thyroid function, with some suggesting that carbohydrate intake should not drop below 100 grams per day to avoid this impact. Others recommend taking occasional breaks from low-carb eating to restore thyroid function to standard levels.

Another perspective suggests that when stable in weight on a low-carb, high-fat (LCHF) diet such as Carnivore, the body may actually become more responsive to thyroid hormones due to beneficial changes in cell structure and function from being in nutritional ketosis. Consequently, the body may operate efficiently at lower T3 levels. These various studies show that peripheral tissue sensitivity to thyroid hormone is influenced by complex mechanisms not detectable through bloodwork. This leads to a theoretical deduction that thyroid hormone function on a low-carb diet may also differ in terms of its effects on peripheral tissue. Low-carb individuals may have full thyroid functionality at lower ranges because there is potentially improved thyroid hormone function in the periphery tissues.

Studies reflect the initial reduction of T3 when adopting a keto diet, aligned with our explanation above about how various factors including calorie restriction and weight loss can temporarily reduce thyroid activity. This is a commonly-cited, fearmongering study showing the initial drop of T3. Note the sample size of 11 men and the timeframe of 11 days, making this a very limited, short-term study. Long-term keto studies in adult populations do not show a continued reduction in T3 levels. During the weight-maintenance phases of these long-term studies, concentrations of T3 were increased when carbohydrate calories were fully substituted for fat in the diet.

The Gut Microbiome and Thyroid Function on a Carnivore Diet

Research has uncovered a link between gut bacteria and thyroid function, shedding light on how the microbiome within our digestive system can impact the health and balance of our thyroid gland. The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health and metabolic balance and has a significant impact on thyroid function, emphasizing their role in modulating hormone levels, metabolism, and immune responses.

Low-carb diets, particularly those that restrict carbohydrates from plant-based sources like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, can alter the composition of the gut microbiome. The reduction of dietary fibers, starches, and prebiotics in these diets often leads to a decrease in beneficial bacteria that thrive on fiber. Reducing dietary fibers also leads to a reduction in microbial diversity favoring the overgrowth of pathogenic disease-causing.

The gut microbiota ferments dietary fibers to produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) like butyrate, acetate, and propionate, which are essential for gut health and immune function. Low-carb diets may limit the availability of fermentable fibers, leading to reduced SCFA production. SCFAs help nourish the gut lining, support beneficial bacteria, and regulate inflammation in the gut. The SCFAs thicken the mucosal layer, which sits on top of the gut lining and serves as a shield between the delicate gut lining and gut bacteria/toxins. This mucosal layer also serves as a habitat and food source for our gut bacteria like akkermansia mucinphila.

High-protein and high-fat diets can alter PH of the gastrointestinal tract and increase the production of secretion of bile acids. Bile acids are important for fat digestion and nutrient absorption. Changes in pH levels due to low dietary carbohydrate consumption, or diets high in protein and fat diets can alter bile acid production. Ultimately this impacts the growth of specific gut bacteria and influences the microbiome. The more primary bile acids we have in the pool, the greater the likelihood that these primary bile acids could be later transformed by gut microbiota into Secondary Bile Acids. Secondary bile acids are very damaging to the gut mucosal liningand not something we want to encourage.

Dietary Patterns in Hashimoto's Patients

Studies have shown that Polish HT patients are deficient in various nutrients and have a low-quality diet. Moreover, they do not follow medical support in most cases, but those who did were not given medical recommendations that fit guidelines and experts pattern statements. There is a need for insight into the heterogeneity of Hashimoto’s patients’ dietary patterns to improve dietary therapy of the condition they suffer from.

Based on our own clinical practice, we know that the standard treatment of thyroid dysfunction is thyroid hormone replacement, usually without interference in patients’ nutrition. However, when it is, it is wrong and potentially harmful. Such an approach does not seem to be satisfactory for patients as their quality of life, even after the introduction of levothyroxine therapy, is still decreased despite normal blood thyroid parameters.

The etiology of HT is not fully explained and understood. However, it is known that disease arises when environmental factors such as nutritional ones occur in genetically susceptible people. The eating patterns of patients with Hashimoto’s disease are not fully recognized. It is known that people with this disease consume red meat, fish, dairy products, and animal fats more often than healthy foods. Moreover, they are not likely to change their diet after being diagnosed with HT.

Other Dietary Considerations for Hashimoto's Disease

Certain eating plans, including the Autoimmune Protocol diet and a grain-or gluten-free diet, may help reduce inflammation that contributes to Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Many studies indicate that those with Hashimoto’s are more likely to have celiac disease than the general population. As such, experts recommend that everyone diagnosed with Hashimoto’s be screened for celiac disease. Some evidence suggests that gluten- and grain-free diets may benefit people with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

The Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet is designed for people with autoimmune diseases. It removes potentially harmful foods like grains, dairy, nightshades, added sugar, coffee, legumes, eggs, alcohol, nuts, seeds, refined sugars, oils, and food additives. In a 10-week study of 16 women with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, the AIP diet significantly improved quality of life scores and significantly decreased levels of the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP).

Inflammation may be a driving force behind Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. As such, an anti-inflammatory diet rich in fruits and vegetables may significantly improve symptoms. Following a diet low in added sugar and highly processed foods but rich in whole, nutrient-dense foods may help improve one’s health, manage one’s weight, and reduce Hashimoto’s-related symptoms.

The Importance of Individualized Approaches

Every person with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis responds differently to treatment, which is why an individualized approach is so important. Working with a dietitian who specializes in autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto’s thyroiditis can help you narrow down potentially problematic foods and set up an eating pattern that’ll help you feel your best. A study done in 60 women with Hashimoto’s found that engaging in stress reduction practices helped to reduce their depression and anxiety, improve overall quality of life, and lower thyroid antibodies.

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