The Influence of Nutritional Intervention in the Treatment of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis-A Systematic Review.

Diet can be a complementary treatment for Hashimoto's disease by affecting thyroid function and anti-inflammatory properties. It is still unclear which dietary strategy would be the most beneficial. The aim of this systematic review is to examine all the data currently available in the literature on the effects of nutritional intervention on biochemical parameters (anti-thyroid antibody and thyroid hormones levels) and characteristic symptoms in the course of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. This systematic review was prepared based on PRISMA guidelines. Articles in PubMed and Scopus databases published up to November 2022 were searched. As a result of the selection, out of 1350 publications, 9 were included for further analysis. The nutritional interventions included the following: elimination of gluten (3 articles) or lactose (1 article), energy restriction with or without excluding selected foods (n = 2), consumption of Nigella sativa (n = 2), or dietary iodine restriction (n = 1). The intervention duration ranged from 21 days to 12 months and included individuals with various thyroid function. Of the nine studies, three studies were female only. An improvement was observed during an energy deficit and after the elimination of selected ingredients (e.g., gluten, lactose, or goitrogens), as well as after the intervention of Nigella sativa. These interventions improved antibody levels against peroxidase (anti-TPO), (thyrotropin) TSH, and free thyroxine (fT4). No improvement was seen on the iodine-restricted diet. Varied outcomes of analyzed dietary interventions may be due to the heterogeneous thyroid condition, high variability between patients, and differences in habitual intake of critical nutrients (e.g., iodine, selenium, and iron) in different populations. Therefore, there is a great need for further experimental studies to determine whether any nutritional interventions are beneficial in Hashimoto's disease.

Effect of selenium on thyroid autoimmunity and regulatory T cells in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis: A prospective randomized-controlled trial.

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element in human. Recent studies of Se supplementation on the effect of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) have been reported, but the exact benefit is unclear as well as the underlying immunologic mechanism. We aimed to evaluate the clinical effect of Se supplement in patients with HT, and explore the potential mechanism against thyroid autoimmunity. A prospective, randomized-controlled study was performed in patients with HT assigned to two groups. Se-treated group (n = 43) received selenious yeast tablet (SYT) for 6 months, whereas no treatment in control group (n = 47). The primary outcome is the change of thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) or thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb). Second, thyroid function, urinary iodine, Se, Glutathione peroxidase3 (GPx3), and Selenoprotein P1 (SePP1) levels were measured during the SYT treatment. Meanwhile, regulatory T cells (Tregs) and their subsets activated Tregs (aTregs), resting Tregs, and secreting Tregs, as well as Helios and PD-1 expression on these cells were also detected. The results showed that SYT treatment significantly decreased TPOAb, TGAb, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels, accompanied with the increased Se, GPx3, and SePP1, compared with the control group. Subgroup analysis revealed that subclinical HT may benefit more from this treatment in the decrease of TSH levels by interaction test. Moreover, the percentage of aTregs, Helios/Tregs, and Helios/aTregs were significantly higher in the Se-treated group than control. In conclusion, Se supplementation may have a beneficial effect on thyroid autoantibodies and thyroid function by increasing the antioxidant activity and upregulating the activated Treg cells.

Evaluation of Qualitative Dietary Protocol (Diet4Hashi) Application in Dietary Counseling in Hashimoto Thyroiditis: Study Protocol of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

The current state of knowledge related to diet in Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) is far from satisfactory, as many HT subjects experience several disorders and report reduced quality of life. There are three aims of the study: (1) to develop a qualitative dietary protocol (QDP; 'Diet4Hashi') as a simple, graphic-text tool dedicated to TH subjects, (2) to evaluate the use of the QDP in dietetic counseling compared to conventional dietetic counseling (CDC) in HT women, and (3) to assess the impact of both the QDP and the CDC on the diet quality, quality of life, adiposity, and metabolic parameters of HT women. The QDP is based on subject self-monitoring supported with a graphic-text tool to help them in food selection and adequate food frequency consumption, while the CDC on oral explanation and printed sample menus were provided by a dietician. The QDP contains two lists: (A) foods recommended for consumption and (B) foods with limited consumption, along with indicated consumption frequency per day/week/month. Both approaches include the same dietary recommendations for HT extracted from the literature but differ in subject-dietician cooperation. To summarize the evidence regarding dietary recommendations in HT, the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases (to March 2019) and the bibliographies of key articles were searched. The study is designed as a dietary intervention lasting six months in two parallel groups: experimental and control. In the experimental group, the QDP will be applied, while in the control group, the CDC will be applied. In total, the study will include a baseline of 100 women with diagnosed HT. The subjects will be randomly allocated into the experimental/control groups (50/50). Data related to diet quality and other lifestyle factors, nutrition knowledge, quality of life, thyroid function, body composition, blood pressure, serum fasting glucose, and lipid profile at baseline and after a six-month follow-up will be collected. This study was conducted to develop a dietary protocol (Diet4Hashi) that is easy to follow for HT subjects, and it will contribute to providing valuable data that are useful to dieticians and physicians. It is anticipated that this graphic-text qualitative dietary protocol, by improving food selection and diet quality, may reduce adiposity and improve metabolic parameters and the quality of life of HT women.

A concise review of Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT) and the importance of iodine, selenium, vitamin D and gluten on the autoimmunity and dietary management of HT patients.Points that need more investigation.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) is a chronic autoimmune thyroid disease caused by an interaction between genetic factors and environmental conditions, both of which are yet to be fully understood. The management of HT depends on its clinical manifestations, commonly including diffuse or nodular goiter with euthyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism and permanent hypothyroidism. However, in most cases of patients with HT, lifelong levothyroxine substitution is required. The additional role of diet for the management of HT is usually overlooked. A literature search regarding the importance and the influence of iodine, selenium, vitamin D and gluten on HT was conducted. In HT careful supplementation of possible deficiencies is recommended for the dietary management of these patients. The use of a diet low in gluten among HT patients with or without celiac disease (CD) is discussed.

Is vitamin D related to pathogenesis and treatment of Hashimoto's thyroiditis?

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate vitamin D status by measuring serum 25(OH)D levels in euthyroid patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) who lived and worked on the sunny island of Crete, Greece, and to evaluate whether vitamin D3 supplementation is beneficial for the management of HT patients with vitamin D deficiency. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We studied 218 HT patients, euthyroid Caucasian Cretan Greek citizens: 180 females and 38 males. Among these patients, 186 (85.3%) had vitamin D deficiency defined as serum 25(OH)D levels < 30 ng/mL. The mean age of all these 218 HT patients was 35.3 ± 8.5 years. The mean age of the 186 vitamin D deficient HT patients (173 females and 13 males) was 37.3 ± 5.6 years. The 186 vitamin D deficient HT patients received vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol, CF) orally, 1200-4000 IU, every day for 4 months aiming to maintain serum 25(OH)D levels ≥ 40 ng/mL. Anthropometric characteristics (height, weight, waist circumference), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum concentration of 25(OH)D, thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), anti-thyroid peroxidase (anti-TPO), antithyroglobulin (anti-TG), calcium and phosphorus levels and thyroid and kidney sonographic findings were recorded and measured before and after CF administration. RESULTS: There was a significant negative correlation only between serum 25(OH)D levels and anti-TPO levels among all 218 HT patients. Also, anti-TPO levels were significantly higher in 186/218 vitamin D deficient HT patients compared to 32/218 HT patients with no vitamin D deficiency (364 ± 181IU/mL versus 115.8 ± 37.1IU/mL, P<0.0001). Supplementation of CF in 186 vitamin D deficient HT patients caused a significant decrease (20.3%) in serum anti-TPO levels. Although at the end of the 4 months period of the study body mass index (BMI), serum anti-TG and TSH levels decreased by 2.2%, 5.3% and 4% respectively, these differences were not significant. No changes in the sonographic findings were observed. CONCLUSION: The majority (85.3%) of the Greek Caucasian patients with HT studied who lived and worked in Crete had low serum 25(OH)D levels inversely correlated with serum anti-TPO thyroid antibodies. After 4 months of CF supplementation in the 186 HT patients with vitamin D deficiency, a significant decrease (20.3%) of serum anti-TPO levels was found. These findings suggest that vitamin D deficiency may be related to pathogenesis of HT and that its supplementation could contribute to the treatment of patients with HT.

Efficacy of a food supplement in patients with hashimoto thyroiditis.

Thyroid inflammation has been commonly seen in recent decades, due to a series of factors and is considered as the most frequent thyroid illness. It is characterized by some distinctive traits, which include morphological and hormonal modifications, often in association with an elevated anti-thyroid autoantibody title. The aim of the therapy is to improve symptoms as fast as possible, treating inflammation and subsequent hypothyroidism, when present. Therefore, we evaluated the efficacy of a Food Supplement (FS) containing enzymes which is commonly used in various inflammatory processes and is able to modulate immune reactions during inflammation in a very rapid and efficacious way. An open, controlled study was then designed and 45 patients with Hashimoto thyroiditis were enrolled and divided into 3 groups (FS alone; thyroid hormones alone; FS plus thyroid hormones). Blood, morphological and subjective parameters were considered. The results obtained indicate that the FS used in our study is efficacious and safe when used alone and/or in combination with thyroid hormones in the treatment of autoimmune thyroiditis, as documented by the improvement of the majority of the parameters considered. The efficacy was considered faster than thyroid hormones alone as far as subjective symptomatology is considered. In conclusion, the use of the food supplement evaluated herein during inflammation may be considered an additional tool in clinicians’ hands, when facing patients with autoimmune thyroiditis, especially in presence of subjective symptomatology, in order to rapidly alleviate it.