LCHF AND YOUR THYROID
IS EATING LOW-CARB THE HOLY GRAIL OF WEIGHT LOSS AND THE PATH TO OPTIMAL HEALTH, OR CAN IT WREAK HAVOC ON THYROID FUNCTION AND CAUSE HORMONAL CHAOS?
The impact that going low-carb has on your hormones
Research has shown that eating very low-carb (such as the ketogenic approach) slows thyroid function – in both children and adults. The findings indicated that the lower in carbs the diet was, the lower the levels of T3 hormone (that’s the active thyroid hormone). And when T3 levels are too low, as in the case of classic hypothyroidism or ‘sluggish thyroid’, those afflicted experience hair thinning and weight gain; or feel tired, depressed and cold. Based on this, you might infer that following a ketogenic way of eating would cause hypothyroidism, but actually, as in all things diet-related, it’s not that simple. A number of randomised low-carb or ketogenic diet studies published in the last decade showed that, in a total of 350 closely monitored participants, there wasn’t a single case of hypothyroidism reported – so what’s the deal?
Levels of thyroid hormone definitely decrease with a low-carb lifestyle, so why isn’t this linked to impaired thyroid function? One hypothesis is that when the body is in a state of ketosis, improvements in cell structure and function occur, enabling the body to become more responsive to these hormones. As a result, it operates normally at lower T3 levels. In other words, it takes less hormone to produce the same effect.
The next question is whether low-carb diets are okay for those with existing thyroid issues? The answer is yes, but proceed with caution. You’ll need to be aware of the potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. Armed with the right info, there’s no reason you can’t reap all the benefits of a low-carb diet without it affecting your thyroid function. If done incorrectly, however, there is a good chance you will run into problems.
Get your carbs from veggies and starchy tubers such as butternut, carrot and sweet potato, as well as a little fruit.