How to Reduce Thyroid Inflammation with 5 Diet and Lifestyle Strategies

The thyroid gland is especially susceptible to the negative effects of chronic inflammation. Thyroid inflammation not only affects those with autoimmune thyroid conditions, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, but it sets the scene for the development of hypothyroidism, which affects 1 in 25 Americans older than age 12.

Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid function, affects many body systems. Because of this, symptoms are widespread and range from fatigue, weight gain, digestive issues, joint and muscle pain, dry skin, hair loss, slowed heart rate, depression, and irregular cycles. 

Continue reading to learn about 5 diet and lifestyle strategies that help address and manage causes of inflammation that can affect thyroid health!

Understanding Inflammation’s Role in Hypothyroidism

Inflammation is a protective immune response. Inflammation becomes especially problematic when chronic, lasting many months to years. Chronic low-grade inflammation can contribute to chronic disease development and conditions such as PCOS and Hashimoto’s.

There are countless drivers of chronic inflammation. For example, inflammation can be fueled by low-grade infections, gut dysbiosis, autoimmune conditions, the presence of environmental or  chemical irritants, such as mold mycotoxins or endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or even simple histamine responses that repeatedly activate the immune system. 

The thyroid gland itself is especially susceptible to inflammation, which can impact thyroid hormone production and also elevate thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). The activation of thyroid hormones, from inactive T4 to active T3, occurs throughout the body, particularly in the liver and gut. The liver is critically important in the context of inflammation given its role in detoxification. Because of this, chronic inflammation can result in impaired thyroid hormone activation and lower levels of free T3. 

Oxidative stress, or free radical formation, can be thought of as rust built up on the energy producing gears in our cells. Free radicals are natural byproducts of the energy production process in our bodies, which happens in the mitochondria. Oxidative stress increases with environmental toxin exposure, heavy metal accumulation, excessive exercise, and excess iron in the body, to name a few drivers. Even the process of T4 thyroid hormone production in and of itself causes some amount of oxidative stress! You can learn more about this in Lauren’s “LOdown” podcast episode on glutathione.

Strategy #1: Improve Mitochondrial Function

Mitochondria are the energy centers for nearly each and every cell in the body, and are the starting point for hormone health. The mitochondria play a pivotal role in the endocrine (hormone) and immune systems, with mitochondrial dysfunction strongly impacting the thyroid, fertility, and autoimmunity!

Inflammation can damage mitochondria and alter their function by increasing oxidative stress. Damaged mitochondria themselves can in turn go on to cause more inflammation.

We can help reduce thyroid inflammation by improving mitochondrial function through nutrition and lifestyle support. This involves removing environmental exposures that dampen mitochondrial function, and then restoring energy levels and repairing damaged mitochondria using targeted nutrient support. This may include B vitamins, carnitine, lipoic acid, curcumin, magnesium, zinc, and other minerals. 

Chronic hyperglycemia, or elevated blood sugar levels, can also impair mitochondrial function. Balancing blood sugar levels is always a critical first step to help calm inflammation. We can also support mitochondrial function by focusing on the other strategies listed below! 

Strategy #2: Identify and Remove Dietary Triggers

Removing potential dietary sources of inflammation can be very impactful for reducing overall inflammation in the body. Identifying food triggers can be challenging, and is one focus of the Inflammation Hormony group program. 

Certain foods or food groups are known for contributing to or worsening inflammation in most individuals. For example, we know that excess intake of added sugars, processed foods, as well as gluten and dairy insensitive individuals all fuel inflammation. Other individuals may have more specific food triggers, which can usually be identified through an elimination diet. It’s important that this process involves a long enough elimination phase to quell inflammation, followed by a strategic food reintroduction phase that allows you to effectively identify food triggers and avoid unnecessary food restriction.

Repeated exposure to dietary inflammatory triggers goes beyond causing digestive upset, and further fuels the fire that can manifest throughout the whole body. The thyroid and gut are very much connected, with significant thyroid conversion happening in the lining of the intestines! Imbalances in the gut microbiome, as well as intestinal permeability or a compromised gut lining, both inhibit thyroid hormone conversion and must be addressed to reduce thyroid inflammation.

Strategy #3: Reduce and Avoid Environmental Exposures

Exposure to environmental toxins and pollutants, as well as endocrine disrupting chemicals, all contribute to oxidative stress. Things like mold mycotoxins and heavy metals also have an affinity for the thyroid gland among other body tissues. They can damage thyroid cells and tissues, leading to slower thyroid function, increased TSH, and low T4 levels.

Recall that the liver plays a key role in the conversion from inactive T4 to active T3 thyroid hormone. The liver is also exclusively responsible for detoxifying these toxins and chemicals. If the liver is overburdened by its detoxification duties, thyroid hormone conversion in the liver can and most likely will be impacted.

These environmental exposures impact the entire body in a handful of ways. By directly increasing overall inflammation, they impact the liver’s ability to convert thyroid hormone for use throughout the body. This increase in oxidative stress also taxes the mitochondria on a cellular level, which in turn affects all body systems, energy production, and can fuel more inflammation.

Strategy #4: Balance Allostatic Load

Allostatic load refers to the total effect that chronic stress has on our mental and physical health. We can think of allostatic load as general wear and tear on our bodies, taking into account physical activity, sleep, as well as mental and emotional stressors.

Exercise is a key area to look at and assess if it may be driving inflammation and disproportionately contributing to your allostatic load. A balanced combination of strength training and low-intensity cardiovascular exercise is key for supporting optimal hormone health. 

This is why we’ve included an optional workout add-on to Inflammation Hormony, so you not only learn how to workout to support hormone balance and lower inflammation, but you can also put it into practice. Also, ensuring you are giving your body enough recovery time is just as important as the exercise itself!

If we think of our allostatic load as a bucket, we want to ensure that the amount of water filling the bucket is balanced by the amount we are removing, to protect ourselves from our bucket overflowing. That overflow can manifest in a wide variety of conditions, including thyroid dysfunction, hormone imbalance, metabolic dysfunction, the list goes on. 

Strategy #5: Using Food as Medicine

Finally, we cannot underestimate the power of medicinal nutrition strategies to help improve blood sugar control, reduce inflammatory signaling, improve mitochondrial function, and support thyroid hormone production.

As mentioned, we can effectively combat free radical build up and oxidative stress by consuming antioxidants. Phytochemicals are naturally occurring compounds found in fruits, vegetables, and herbs, many of which have antioxidant properties, among other benefits. 

By consuming a wide variety of plant foods, we can get a wide variety of benefits from these different compounds. Medicinal foods such as ginger and turmeric are also well known for their anti-inflammatory properties. 

Other ways we can harness the power of food as medicine is by consuming anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids and liver-supportive sulfur-rich foods, such as onions, garlic, and cruciferous vegetables.

Reduce Inflammation Starting Today (or August 5)!

Remember, inflammation becomes a problem when it becomes chronic, or long-lasting. Thyroid health is especially impacted by chronic inflammation, from the perspective of thyroid hormone production and thyroid hormone conversion. These different processes happen in the thyroid gland itself and in other tissues all throughout the body.

Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid function, is all too common in the US and is fueled by inflammation and oxidative stress. 

We created Inflammation Hormony as a guided playbook that combines these five strategies to effectively lower thyroid inflammation. You don’t need to do this alone! Join the waitlist now to be the first notified when doors open on August 5! This is for you if you want to…

• Better understand the impact of inflammation on your health
• Improve your mitochondrial function
• Identify and remove food triggers
• Better understand inflammatory environmental exposures
• Balance your allostatic load
• Learn how to use food as medicine

We can’t wait to see you inside Inflammation Hormony!

Written by Romana Brennan, MS, RD