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Nightshades and thyroid issues


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Does anyone have reliable resources they can direct me to about the effects of nightshades on autoimmune *thyroid* issues? I have read ISWF and looked at the references listed there, but they all relate to Celiac, arthritis, and other pain conditions. I have hypothyroid that is well controlled with levothyroxine, and am trying to determine whether eliminating nightshades would have any effect on...well, anything. I have no pain and no apparent digestive issues with nightshades (I do have issues with fruits, eggs, dairy, and nuts).

I am also interested in information about how nightshades might be problematic in thyroid conditions.

I am specifically looking for non-anecdotal information and resources. I've had no success with PubMed searches on this issue.

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I can't find any good references (warning!) but it seems as though the theory is that solanine (found in nightshades) builds up within the thyroid after repeated exposure and can disrupt hormonal regulation. Again, I have not been able to find any soild references to prove or disprove this theory.

I will say this, when I remove something from my diet and I start to feel better I could care less what the literature says. I don't even care if it is the placebo effect, if I feel better by removing something...AWESOME! I am more than happy being an N of 1!

So, try eliminating nightshades if you think the theory holds water and see if your symptoms improve.

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aj, you may just want to keep an eye out for hypERthyroid symptoms, as if your natural thyroid function gets better, the supplementation will be too much.

I don't actually know what this consists of, but I'm sure that you'd know what to look for, or at the least your doc would?

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I responded to this on the Whole30 FB page too, but here goes...

Um, unfortunately, no, because there really isn't any good research on that specific topic. Nightshades contain compounds that some folks may be sensitive to, and when you have an autoimmune condition, you have that much smaller of a margin for error. Therefore, to avoid ANY potential of immune stimulation (for which you already have too much), we rule these "maybe" foods out for the trial or Whole30 period.

Generally, in our experience, nightshades affect folks with joint issues more than any other population - RA, for example. If you go without and then add them back in, look for any negative symptoms - gastric disturbance, skin issues, aches and pains, etc.

Hope that helps, Melissa

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I don't have any experience with this, but as a fellow whole 30'er with hypothyroidism, am interested in this topic. (I just got ISWF in the mail and anxious to read/hear more). Meanwhile, I've had success with questions on the facebook page "Thyroid Sexy". Glad you Levo has you feeling good!

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Sorry, I don't have any resources to offer you, just what I've learned from reading many health books. It is my understanding that Nightshades can increase inflammation in certain individuals. Many people with a thyroid condition have the autoimmune version (I do) which from what I understand is caused by leaky gut and inflammation due to the leaky gut. To heal your thyroid it is important to eliminate all inflammatory foods till the gut is healed, then you try added them back in to see how you feel and if there is anymore problems.

If you are cleaning up your diet or following the whole30, be aware of any hyperthyroid symptoms. As your gut heals and the inflammation goes down, your body will stop attacking your thyroid and you may need less medication. That has happened to me, I at one time had a dosage of 150 mg of Armour Thyroid and it is down to 100 mg now. I'm very excited about this!

I am not a medical expert or an expert of anything but my body :) I do hope you found this info helpful to you.

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Many thanks to everyone for your replies!

Apparently, my thyroid isn't as fully controlled as I'd thought. Two separate blood panels recently confirmed low T3 and free T3, and in the last week I've had some very clear hypo symptoms (to the point that my energy was so low I could barely walk a block, my voice was hoarse, and I had depressive symptoms). However, I think this is related to a full year of carb restriction + high physical activity level, particularly as my energy level improved within 2 days of "carb loading" with two sweet potatoes and some blueberries. The initial carb restriction was to keep my PCOS symptoms in line, which it did pretty well, but apparently things change :-) At this point, I'm planning to add 2-3 sweet potatoes/week to see if that elevates the T3 over time. It may be difficult to balance simultaneous dietary treatment of PCOS with hypothyroid.

Based on the responses above, I'll also try to cut out as many nightshades as possible -- peppers and tomatoes are surprisingly difficult to avoid, particularly paprika!

And Renee, you have an excellent point about being aware of hyperthyroid symptoms; that didn't occur to me, so I'll need to brush up on what those are, in case they crop up.

Again, thank you to everyone!

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  • 1 year later...

I have hashi's and also Chrohn's and have tested positive for markers for Lupus and RA. My new view of hypothyroid hashi's is that it is NOT a thyroid disease, it's an AI disease and hypothyroid is just a symptom or result of Auto Immune disease. AI is part genetic, part environment (including food) and can be triggered by a virus or other event. Whatever the cause, our bodies react to certain triggers and in attacking that trigger, attack our own bodies. Some attack the joints, some attack the thyroid, some attack other parts of the body. But the common thread is inflammation. Nightshades, like many plants, have protective substances in them which many people react to. I had a severe reaction to a raw tomato when I was 3 years old, so since then I have never had a raw tomato! I've had cooked tomatoes and sauce, but never raw. I've always been too paranoid to eat one (I would hear my mothers voice screaming at me). I used to love eggplant, but I did notice that when I ate it, my mouth and throat would become numb. I also like peppers, but my stomach couldn't handle them. I never put everything together, I never knew what nightshades were. But now I know.

 

I did the AIP W30, which I encourage anyone with a diagnosed AI disease to do. I found that eggs were a big trigger for me and I no longer eat them. The main point is to treat the AI so you will stop damaging your thyroid and prevent any further AI damage elsewhere. So nightshades should be eliminated. Even if you are taking Synthroid or NDT, that is just replacing what your thyroid was putting out. It is not 'curing' your hashi's or helping your thyroid. Your thyroid will be less swollen because it is not being constantly pressed by TSH to try to output thyroid hormones. But if you still have a high antibody load, you are still doing damage to your body.

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So far I don't have any thyroid issues identified, but inflammation is huge.

 

Nightshade load makes a big difference to me with inflammation. But for me, the difference between no nightshades and a small amount of nightshades is almost nothing, for some people it's much more extreme. However if I ramp up my nightshade consumption really high, my inflammation goes way up.

 

For anyone who has identified they are nightshade sensitive, some GMO foods have nightshade genes spliced into them now, so some people get reactions to non-nightshades, which are a nightshade reaction. Another sneaky source are goji berries, which are not berries at all :)

 

Things which changed my inflammation dramatically: no wheat, no dairy, no prolamin grains (rice is least reactive for me), low "nightshade load". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prolamin My arthritis is now pretty much gone, I forget I used to suffer daily.

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For anyone who has identified they are nightshade sensitive, some GMO foods have nightshade genes spliced into them now, so some people get reactions to non-nightshades, which are a nightshade reaction. Another sneaky source are goji berries, which are not berries at all :)

 

 

oh, goodie! As if we didn't have enough to worry about.....

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