The Influence of Nutritional Intervention in the Treatment of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis—A Systematic Review

Abstract

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 Different Methods of Using Black Seed (Nigella sativa L.) to the Diet and Drinking Water on Qualitative Egg Traits of Laying Hens Eggs

“…The addition of alcoholic and aqueous extract to drinking water, were significantly superior compared to the addition of both crushed and black seed oil to the feed, it may be due to ensuring that the black seed extracts reach the birds through drinking water compared to adding it to the feed, which was used at very low levels and which may have a low rate of access to birds, in addition to the effective compounds contained in black seed powder, the most important of which are thymoquinone and nickelone, which have a major role in stimulating the work of digestive enzymes to benefit greatly from nutrients, these two compounds are one of the most important components of the volatile oil in the black seed Which improves the digestion of both protein and fat, by the secretion of digestive juices in the alimentary canal, achieves the highest benefit from the food intake [13]. Some elements, the most important of which is calcium, are also stimulated, enters many metabolic pathways, which increases the permeability of cell membranes, facilitates the process of absorption in the small intestine, facilitating the passage of nutrients into cells, Phosphorus, which participates in calcium in stimulating thyroid activity, is also stimulated, increases the metabolic rate within the body, which improves performance [14]. In addition to its role as a natural antioxidant, as it stimulates the action of some enzymes, the most important of which is glutathione peroxidase, which has an important role in protecting the cells and tissues of the body from the danger of peroxides, educes or prevents the process of breaking down body proteins and thus improving productive performance [15,16].…”

Effects of dietary intervention on human diseases: molecular mechanisms and therapeutic potential

“… 372 Improvement in HT has also been observed in other dietary interventions, including elimination of gluten or lactose, energy restriction, and consumption of Nigella sativa, suggesting the potential benefit of diet as a complementary treatment for HT. 373 MS is more common in western countries, suggesting diet as a potential risk factor. 374 Western diet triggers impaired myelin-debris clearance in microglia, thereby impairing lesion recovery after demyelination, which may explain its role in MS induction.…”

Nutrition and thyroid disease

“…A systematic review using PRISMA guidelines has recently investigated the effects of nutritional interventions on the clinical and immunological parameters of Hashimoto's thyroiditis [48 ▪▪ ]. In nine studies that were evaluated, a decrease of TPOAb and thyrotropin-stimulating hormone receptor antibodies and improvement of FT4 levels was seen during a period of energy deficit and exclusion of dietary ingredients such as goitrogens, gluten, and lactose [48 ▪▪ ]. Here again, further experimental studies are warranted.…”