How vitamin D affects thyroid disease

How vitamin D affects thyroid disease

Vitamin D is known for its importance in managing calcium in the intestines, bones, and blood and disease resistance. However, many studies show that the influence of vitamin D levels can also play a role in many other health problems.

Researchers now believe it plays a crucial role in how cells communicate. Clinical studies link abnormal vitamin D levels to colon, prostate and breast cancer, as well as heart disease, weight gain and thyroid disease.

Vitamin D production

Vitamin D is unique compared to other vitamins in that it is almost impossible to get what you need from food. Instead, your body produces it naturally in the skin when you are exposed to natural or artificial UVB light.

Once your body produces vitamin D or you take it as a supplement, it is sent to the liver. The liver converts vitamin D into 25 (OH) D and sends it to various parts of the body and activates it. Once activated, it is ready to carry out its tasks.

Autoimmune diseases

Autoimmunity occurs when the immune system treats a person's healthy tissues and cells as a threat. When this happens, their body creates an immune response and attacks. This reaction can cause damage, inflammation, and chronic pain in many parts of the body.

Vitamin D deficiency may affect the body's ability to fight infections and may be linked to or cause autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease.

Clinical studies

Of particular interest are several studies presented at the Thyroid Association Annual Meeting in 2014. Researchers from Nanjing, China, studied 34 patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and 32 with Graves' disease against 52 healthy patients. Researchers measured many thyroid factors, including vitamin D3.

Vitamin D is actually a group of compounds classified as vitamin D1, D2 and D3. Vitamin D3 is the naturally occurring form of the vitamin and the most biologically active.

The researchers found that patients with autoimmune thyroid disease had significantly lower vitamin D3 levels than healthy controls. Patients with antibodies to thyroid peroxidase, which the body produces in autoimmune thyroid disease, also had lower vitamin D levels. This suggests that vitamin D insufficiency may be related to or cause autoimmune thyroid disease.

Brazilian researchers studied 54 Hashimoto's patients compared to 54 healthy controls. They also found vitamin D deficiency in 63.2% of patients. Those with low vitamin D levels also had higher thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and larger thyroids.

Vitamin D deficiency

Normally, the skin produces sufficient vitamin D when exposed to sufficient UV light. However, the risks of skin cancer or melanoma mean many people use sunscreen and cover their bodies. We're also spending more time indoors for work and entertainment.

As more clinical tests show a connection between vitamin D and thyroid function, many doctors now recommend vitamin D testing as part of thyroid evaluation and care. Still, functional practitioners and doctors who follow the medical model may treat you differently depending on your results.

Medical model versus functional model

The medical model recommends 400 international units of vitamin D per day. They also define a sufficient 25(OH)D serum level of over 50 nmol/L as it “meets the needs of 97.5% of the population”. The test to measure vitamin D levels in the 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood test.

The medical model usually recommends supplementation to boost low levels of vitamin D. However, the functional approach to care recognizes several reasons that can lead to low vitamin D levels. As a result, recommending supplements before evaluating overall health and other potential issues can be ineffective and counterproductive.

Supplements do not always correct low vitamin D levels because they do not address underlying problems. The vitamin D receptor in some autoimmune patients cannot be activated due to variations in their DNA sequence. Consequently, they require higher levels of vitamin D in their blood than normal to avoid vitamin D insufficiency.

Vitamin D is fat-soluble and some patients with thyroid problems such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis have low stomach acid and poor fat absorption. Autoimmune diseases like Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease also cause the immune system to work overtime, depleting the body's stores of vitamin D. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to address gut and digestive issues and modulate the immune system before considering vitamin D supplementation.

A highly qualified functional practitioner will assess your gut and digestive health. If satisfied, he can order a 25-hydroxy vitamin D blood test for your vitamin D levels.

Your doctor may recommend a supplement to achieve between 60 and 80 nmol/L. This is still well below the threshold of 125 nmol/L at which a patient may experience adverse reactions. After a few months they will test again. If their serum levels rise to an acceptable level, the doctor will adjust vitamin D intake so that serum levels remain between 50 and 60 nmol/L.

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Vitamin D deficiency is just one factor that can lead to thyroid problems. Therefore, self-supplementation is not recommended as it may be ineffective if underlying problems persist. Discuss your thyroid problems with a functioning doctor to develop an effective treatment protocol.

Inspired by Mark A. Scott D.C