What's The Best Multivitamin Or Supplement For Hashimoto's Disease?

Hashimoto’s disease is an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid gland. Autoimmune diseases are disorders that cause your immune system to create antibodies that attack healthy cells and organs.

Hashimoto’s disease is often associated with various vitamin and mineral deficiencies that can worsen symptoms.

What is Hashimoto’s disease?

Hashimoto’s disease also called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, is when the immune system makes antibodies that attack the thyroid gland. As a result, the condition can damage your thyroid gland and interfere with its ability to produce hormones, causing a condition known as hypothyroidism.

Thyroid hormones regulate your metabolism and affect virtually every organ and cell in your body. Hypothyroidism slows your metabolism and many of the body’s functions, potentially leading to severe health conditions, including heart disease, heart failure, and high blood pressure.

Can multivitamins and supplements help with Hashimoto’s disease?

Hashimoto’s disease can bring on a wide variety of symptoms, such as mood changes, weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, constipation, joint pain, and more.

While medication is often used to treat hypothyroidism, many people with Hashimoto’s disease can benefit from diet and lifestyle adjustments.

People with Hashimoto’s often have certain nutrient deficiencies that can worsen their symptoms. A nutrient-rich diet provides enough nutrition to maintain a healthy thyroid for most people.

For Hashimoto’s disease patients who lack specific nutrients, a multivitamin or supplement can help limit thyroid damage and improve symptoms and the quality of life.

However, when choosing a supplement, patients with Hashimoto’s disease should be careful of iodine content, as iodine excess can increase the risk of developing thyroid disorders as much as its deficiency.

Which vitamins and minerals are best for Hashimoto’s disease?

People with Hashimoto’s disease are more likely to have certain nutrient deficiencies¹, and dietary supplements may help relieve some symptoms. In addition, some supplements can help reduce inflammation and thyroid antibodies in patients.

Some of the most beneficial supplements for Hashimoto’s disease include:

Vitamin D

Most people know vitamin D’s role in building and maintaining healthy bones. Vitamin D is critical for bone health because it’s necessary for calcium absorption, the primary component of bone.

In addition to bone health, vitamin D plays several roles in various bodily processes, including immune responses². For example, research has found that vitamin D acts on the immune system, reducing autoimmune antibodies and decreasing the body’s inflammatory response.

Additionally, research has found a correlation between vitamin D deficiency and Hashimoto’s disease. People with the condition have significantly lower levels of this vitamin than the general population. Studies also indicate that vitamin D deficiency level is linked to the severity of Hashimoto’s disease.

B complex vitamins

Studies have found that 46% of patients with Hashimoto’s disease also have a vitamin B-12 deficiency¹. In addition, research suggests that even in asymptomatic patients, vitamin B-12 deficiencies may be an early indication of a thyroid issue.

Hypothyroidism and vitamin B-12 deficiency have similar symptoms, such as fatigue, weakness, and depression. While a lack of vitamin B-12 is common with Hashimoto’s disease, it is often overlooked.

What other vitamins and supplements can help with Hashimoto’s disease?

Research shows that several nutrients are needed for your thyroid to function optimally. Some of the most vital ones for thyroid health may also benefit people with Hashimoto’s disease.

These include the following:

Selenium

Selenium supplementation is associated with a significant decrease in antithyroid antibodies and often improves mood and general well-being in people with Hashimoto’s disease.

Evidence suggests that selenium supplementation³ in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and known selenium deficiency may be helpful.

Zinc

Zinc is an essential nutrient that plays a role in your metabolism and immune system and is vital for thyroid function. Zinc helps regulate the production and metabolism of your thyroid hormones.

Iron

People with Hashimoto’s disease have an increased risk of developing anemia⁴. Iron supplements can often improve symptoms and may be necessary to correct iron deficiencies.

Curcumin

Curcumin, a turmeric extract, is a strong anti-oxidative with powerful anti-inflammatory properties. As a result, curcumin may play a crucial role in preventing and treating Hashimoto’s disease and can help protect the thyroid gland.

Magnesium

Low magnesium levels are linked to an increased risk of Hashimoto’s disease and thyroid antibodies. Magnesium supplementation may benefit people with severely low blood magnesium and improve symptoms in people with thyroid disease.

Are there supplements that are dangerous to take with Hashimoto’s disease?

While supplements may be beneficial for some patients with Hashimoto’s, some that are marketed to promote thyroid health can be dangerous to take. For instance, many of the readily available dietary health supplements sold for thyroid support contain thyroid hormones⁵.

These supplements can have dangerous side effects and expose patients to the potential risk of altering their thyroid hormone levels. In some cases, supplements can even cause iatrogenic thyrotoxicosis, a syndrome that results when tissues are exposed to high levels of circulating thyroid hormones.

Laboratory analysis of several dietary thyroid supplements found that the majority contained clinically relevant amounts of thyroid hormones T4 and T3. Some thyroid supplements had T3 and T4 levels that exceeded standard treatment doses typically prescribed to people for hypothyroidism.

Taking these supplements may elevate thyroid hormone levels in the blood and lead to symptoms of hyperthyroidism, which can cause dangerous complications.

People with thyroid issues have specific needs, and supplements marketed to promote thyroid health may negatively affect thyroid function. These supplements may create thyroid issues in people with normal thyroid function and can worsen the health and symptoms of patients with Hashimoto’s disease.

Thyroid supplements can be unsafe for people with or without thyroid conditions. If you have Hashimoto’s disease, you should work with your doctor to develop a safe and healthy treatment plan based on your health and specific needs.

The lowdown

Hashimoto’s disease is often associated with vitamin and nutrient deficiencies.

Some supplements may be beneficial in treating deficiencies and relieving symptoms of Hashimoto’s disease. However, some supplements can have adverse effects when taken in high doses. Additionally, those marketed to promote thyroid health may contain hormones that can cause further complications.

Supplements containing vitamins D and B along with selenium, zinc, iron, curcumin, and magnesium are among the best supplements for Hashimoto’s disease. Supplements may be beneficial for some patients with this condition but should be taken with your doctor’s supervision as part of a treatment plan.