Some people roll their eyes and shake their head when you discuss gluten intolerance or dairy intolerance. We hear the argument. “People have eaten these foods for hundreds of years, and now all of a sudden everyone is allergic to them.” I will admit, I used to be one of those people. When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s I began reading and researching the effects of certain foods on the thyroid. What I found shocked me. What surprised me even more, I found that when I eliminated these foods from my diet, I was more focused, had more energy, and lost weight without exercising. Not only that, my TSH dropped considerably. Today we explore one of the foods I eliminated from my diet from day one. Dairy.
I Grew Up Consuming Dairy
I have Hashimoto’s. I grew up drinking milk, eating cheese and yogurt, and eating ice cream. I never had stomach aches or problems with my digestion. I did, however, experience fatigue, headaches, hair loss, joint pain. I could go on, but I think you get the picture.
To make the point I’m getting to I will use a study done by the US Library of Public Medicine.1 The 2014 study isolated and tested 83 Hashimoto’s patients for lactose intolerance. The results found 75.9% of the patients were lactose intolerant. They found the intolerance reported in Caucasians to be 7% to 20% higher than those of Asians and African American descent. During the study 38 of the patients began a lactose-free diet that lasted 8 weeks.
The results showed over time the patients’ TSH dropped. The drop in TSH proved they were absorbing their thyroid medication better. In my case, my doctor hadn’t prescribed medication yet so by my eliminating dairy my TSH dropped to within normal range. I now believe that eliminating dairy from the diet shows an intolerance that affects the function of the thyroid.
Does Your Medication Contain Lactose?
If we are going to discuss dairy intolerance as related to Hashimoto’s, then we need to address another important concern. If you have a thyroid issue and are taking medication for that condition, you could be consuming dairy. If you have given up dairy and you aren’t seeing a change in your TSH or body composition, it may be because you haven’t given up dairy 100%. Your medication may be causing your reaction and keeping you in the Hashimoto zone. In addition to the lactose intolerance, you could also have an allergy to dairy proteins; double trouble in the arena of autoimmune disease. The result of both dairy intolerance and allergy will result in a rapid decline in thyroid function.
If you’re taking thyroid medication you will want to know which ones contain lactose as a filler.
- Synthroid
- Euthyrox
- WP Thyroid
- Nature-Throid
- Most generic brands of levothyroxine
- Some compounded medications- check with your pharmacist
The following are lactose free medications
- Tirosint
- Armour Thyroid
- Cytomel
- Levoxyl
- Some compounded medications may use lactose as a filler – check with your pharmacist
Other Contributing Factors
Additional research finds a disruption of TSH can be the result of absorption disorders like lactose intolerance, atrophic gastritis, IBS, celiac disease, H. Pylori infections. Patients with Hashimoto’s commonly have a difficult time getting their Hashimoto’s in remission because of the forementioned disorders. If we take this information into consideration, it is easy to see how our body systems must work together to keep our body healthy.
Compromised Health
Now we know the effect of dairy on the thyroid, let’s look at the 2 ways it can compromise your health.
- Milk Protein
- Milk sugars
Milk Protein -Cross-reactors
Milk protein, known as cross-reactors and gluten share a similar protein structure and are as follows:
- Casein (alpha & Beta)
- Casomorphin (a protein resembling morphine)
- Milk butyrophilin
- Whey
Because these proteins resemble those in gluten, it is understandable that people become frustrated when they remove gluten and still experience symptoms that are related to gluten intolerance.
Milk Sugars – Lactose
If you are taking a thyroid medication the sugar in dairy may be making your medication ineffective. Even in small amounts milk sugar has an impact on your ability to absorb your thyroid medication. Not only that but remember those medications mentioned listed above that contain lactose? The medication is defeating its purpose.
I could go on for hours about how dairy affects your thyroid. From your ability to absorb your medication to digestion issues, to additional autoimmune disorders. For now, I want you to know that dairy does have a significant impact on the thyroid function. If you take away one thing from this post, I hope it is that I have given you enough information to prompt you to at least research further the effect of dairy on your thyroid. My hope is for you to see the impact of eliminating dairy from your diet. You will feel better and enjoy better health.
References