Probiotics and Thyroid Health
For example, both sauerkraut and kimchi have strains of L. Plantarum, which have been proven to survive exposure to gastric acid and bile salts. Certain protocols such as the GAPS diet web site rely heavily on the use of fermented foods to help heal the gut. Some strains need to be transported with an ice pack, while others are stable (unless if the temperature is extremely hot).
- But it’s definitely true that the gut plays a role in just about every major disease that you can think of including (and especially) Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
- Coconut yogurt is a delicious way to restore balance to your gut.
- We need to keep in mind that most thyroid conditions are autoimmune.
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I have also started taking Phillips Colon Health probiotics for constipation. Can I take the probiotics an hour after the Synthroid when I eat breakfast, or will that impair the absorption of the Synthroid (as I know many supplements do)? Flow diagram for identification of studies in the systematic review.
Take any product containing live bacteria at least 2 to 3 hours before or after taking antibiotics. What Should I Consider When Taking Probiotics and Antibiotics Together?. If you are taking antibiotics on the recommendation of a healthcare professional, check with them before adding a probiotic to your routine.
THYROID NEWS
- As I mentioned earlier, the strains will make a big difference.
- Individuals with any disorder causing absorption problems in the intestine or use of any other medication or supplement which could potentially alter levothyroxine absorption were excluded.
- And of course most people don’t purchase probiotics directly from the company, but they either purchase them at a health food store, retail store, online, or from a healthcare professional.
- A few might have one billion, and others might have five billion, and others might have seven or eight billion, which is fine.
- DS conceived the study, analyzed the data, and wrote the manuscript.
Furthermore, due to heterogeneity and potential confounding factors like gender, it is challenging to precisely determine the effects. Another limitation is the variation in dosage of the interventions, particularly with probiotics. It is difficult to control and standardize the doses in microbiome-directed therapies. Our findings provided valuable insights into the potential benefits of probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics on thyroid function, warranting further investigation. To strengthen the evidence, additional well-designed randomized controlled trials with larger sample sizes and standardized protocols are needed. Although the beneficial effects of probiotics were demonstrated in several physiopathological conditions, their impact on thyroid function in humans was not evaluated so far.
One hundred and twenty hypothyroid patients on LT4 replacement therapy were screened and 80 patients were enrolled according to inclusion and exclusion criteria (Figure 2). Thirty-nine patients (48.8%) entered the study group and 41 (51.2%) the control group. Baseline characteristics of patients are shown in Table 1. Continuous parameters were compared between study and control groups through ANOVA univariate and/or Mann–Whitney test, according to data distribution, evaluated by Kolmogorov–Smirnov test. Categorical variables were compared with Chi-square or Fisher exact test. The changes after treatment were evaluated considering repeated variables, using Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in thyroid disorders, including HT, GD and thyroid cancer. Recent data have suggested that microbes influence thyroid hormone levels through the regulation of iodine uptake, degradation, and enterohepatic cycling 12. Studies have been shown that Lactobacillaceae and Bifidobacteriaceae are often reduced in hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism 13. Furthermore, a diagnostic model was developed using metagenome-assembled genomes of the gut microbiome, which may serve as a valuable predictor for GD 14. The gut microbiota has the capacity to produce various neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, which can regulate the hypothalamus-pituitary axis (HPA) and inhibit TSH 15. Numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the modulation of gut microbiota in order to restore dysbiosis in patients with thyroid disorders.
Do gut bacteria affect the thyroid?
This is where the quality of the company comes into play, as the manufacturing procedures of the company is important, as is the packaging and storage. And of course most people don’t purchase probiotics directly from the company, but they either purchase them at a health food store, retail store, online, or from a healthcare professional. And so the companies which manufacture the probiotics ship the supplements to these companies, and so the transport mechanism also has to be considered. Many healthcare professionals aren’t aware of this, and I also personally wasn’t aware of this in the past. And of course most people who buy probiotics on their own aren’t aware of this either, and so they also aren’t receiving optimal benefits from the probiotic they’re taking.
Day Thyroid Reset: How To Super Charge Your Thyroid
This systematic review aimed to investigate the potential relationship between probiotics/prebiotics and thyroid function by analyzing the impact on thyroid hormone levels. The main limit of this study is represented by the lack of placebo in the control group. It could limit the strength of our results, constituting a sort of “volunteer bias.” Accordingly, the dropout rate is higher in the control than in the study group (six vs. three patients), although not significant.
VSL#3®
VSL#3 is a potent probiotic supplement consisting of multiple strains, and has numerous benefits. It can help people with ulcerative colitis (24), and also improves symptoms in children with irritable bowel syndrome (25). As for how potent your probiotic should be, it does depend on the situation.
Additionally, no significant alterations were observed in TSH, fT4, and fT3 levels, which suggests that probiotics/prebiotics supplementation does not have an impact on thyroid function. So hopefully you have a better understanding about the benefits of probiotics, including how they work, how to choose a good quality probiotic, and some of the benefits of the different species and strains. While I commonly recommend probiotic supplements to my patients, remember that fermented foods can be an excellent source of probiotics as well. Also remember that specific strains will have specific functions, and so you can’t assume that all strains within a certain species will have the same exact function, as this usually isn’t the case.
