Because a little over a week ago, my doctor, a traditional endocrinologist, recommended that I try a gluten free diet to help lower my antibodies because she’s seen a large level of success with this diet lowering thyroid antibody numbers in some of her other patients, I have spent the last week trying to learn as much as possible about the connection between CD (Celiac Disease) and AITD (Autoimmune Thyroid Disease). Believe me, I am one who loves to make my own whole wheat bread, and who lives a great big bowl of Grape Nuts every morning, so I would never want to do this without good cause. I am a runner, and really rely on carbs to support my energy needs. Luckily, I have access to a university library database and have been able to review several articles related to this connection, all of which are scholarly (i.e. peer reviewed).
There seems to be consensus that there is a link between Celiac Disease and Autoimmune Thyroid Disorder (both Graves and Hashimotos). I found a few articles recommending that all patients with AITD should be screened for Celiac Disease. The background information for these studies said that there has been an increased risk of CD in patients with AITD in Europe and vice-versa. I also found a few articles finding a link between AITD and gluten intolerance, and making the same recommendation for screening.
I found another source not related to Pub Med (the medical database) that says that the molecular structure of the protein in gluten is very similar to the molecular structure of the thyroid gland. When gluten enters the body, the theory is that the immune system attacks both the gluten and the thyroid, causing thyroid disease. Also, the point is made that gluten intolerance can happen without causing symptoms in the gut.
Another link between the two was found in a study out of Italy that found that if one has CD, selenium is not absorbed properly, and that the thyroid is “sensitive” to a deficiency of selenium. Therefore, CD can be a trigger for thyroid disease.
Finally, I just happen to have the New York Times bestseller, *Crazy Sexy Diet,* and in this book by Kris Carr, an M.D. mentions a study from The New England Journal of Medicine (I have seen this study referred to a few times over the last week, but can’t find the study.) that documents 55 diseases that are caused (can be caused?) by eating gluten.
Truthfully, I don’t know what to make of this research. But it does seem pretty clear that the research is fairly clearly showing that there is some sort of connection between these two diseases.
I am a mother and work full time, so changing over to a gluten free diet seems nearly impossible. But this week I tried to cut gluten out the best I could. In some ways I feel better—and in other ways I don’t. For example, I think cutting gluten is a process, and it’s my first week, so often I found myself low low low on energy because I wasn’t getting my usual foods and I didn’t know what to eat. I even found myself grabbing some gluten free junk food—m&ms (and there’s some controversy about whether or not m&ms are even gluten free). I do not think it’s healthy at all to eat gluten free junk food, and I’m a vegetarian, which makes it seem really hard to do the gluten free thing. I ended up eating fish this week, which is something I don’t do. The last few days have been better, and I’m finding things that I usually eat that are naturally gluten free—like a salad with black beans on top, and salsa and tomatoes and avocado, and blue corn chips. Also, after reading that people with CD cannot use lotions with gluten and they often have separate peanut butter jars for them and family members who eat gluten, and sometimes they have their own utensils and dinnerware, I wondered just how strict someone w/ AITD should be. There is really not that much information out there yet.
I don’t know if I will keep this up or not. I’ve heard that it can take 3 months to a year of GF eating to see results, and that’s not from a scholarly source. I have also heard that it doesn’t help some people at all. But if I could stop taking the meds, I would stick to this—but that’s just me. I think some would be more comfortable taking meds and not going to all this trouble, which may end up being for nothing. I hope there’s a learning curve, but it can be done. Honestly, I thought the whole "go GF if you have thyroid issues" was an internet thing—something that wasn’t backed by science or traditional doctors, and when my doctor suggested it, I was really surprised.
So I’d be happy to hear what is reported from the conference.
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