Thyroid disease includes hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, and thyroid nodules, and is commonly seen in most primary care and outpatient endocrinology offices. In routine clinical practice, patients will often inquire about dietary changes they can make to treat or reverse their thyroid disease. The evidence is strongest for adequate but not excessive iodine intake to benefit thyroid health in general, as well as selenium supplementation for patients with Graves disease. Aside from these, we have sparse scientific data showing that dietary changes can significantly benefit hypo- or hyperthyroidism.
Here, we will discuss what we know about what some patients might call a "thyroid diet" and cover the most popular nutrition questions we get asked by patients with thyroid disease.
But first, a quick review.
The Most Common Thyroid Diseases
Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto Thyroiditis
Hypothyroidism affects up to 7% of the general population.[1] Although endemic iodine deficiency is the leading cause of hypothyroidism globally, the most common etiology of hypothyroidism in the United States is Hashimoto thyroiditis, an autoimmune condition characterized by positive serum thyroid autoantibody titers and lymphocytic infiltration of the thyroid, which may lead to destruction of thyroid follicular cells, thereby increasing the risk for hypothyroidism.
Levothyroxineas thyroid hormone replacement remains one of the most commonly prescribed medications in the United States.
