Have you ever wondered if there’s a connection between the thyroid and gut health? It may sound implausible—after all, they’re part of different body systems. However, there’s empirical and scientific evidence that link the two. Keep on reading to learn more about the connection between your thyroid and gut.
Thyroid and Gut Health: Is There A Connection Between Them?
Yes, there’s a strong connection between your gut and thyroid health. A low thyroid hormone may result in a leaky gut and poor gut health may defeat the function of the thyroid.
In fact, optimum digestion may help in taming the antibodies linked to Hashimoto’s, Graves, and other autoimmune diseases. Gut and thyroid diseases co-exist most of the time. For instance, celiac disease and autoimmune thyroid illness often appear together.
Often, gut dysbiosis is found in those who have thyroid diseases such as Grave’s disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. On the other hand, poor gut health may impair the function of the thyroid, whereas poor thyroid function may contribute to leaky gut and inflammation.
Ways Your Thyroid and Gut is Connected
Now that you know that there’s a correlation between thyroid and gut health, take a look at the ways these two parts of the body are connected.
- Stress
When someone is stressed, they’re producing more of the stress hormone also known as cortisol. This, in turn, will decrease the amount of active thyroid hormone. It’s commonly known that stress is actual or perceived and may be caused by a variety of factors. However, it may not be as widely recognized that one of the major sources is your gut.
Gut inflammation—whether through a gastrointestinal disease, dysbiosis, or immune response—will boost the circulating stress hormone. Keep in mind that when prolonged, it’ll have a bad effect on your active thyroid hormone.
- Immune System
The gut is home to 70 percent of the immune system in the form of GALT or gut-associated lymphoid tissue. GALT is very crucial. It acts as a storeroom for keeping part of the defense system of your immune cells and immune system.
Immune cells such as B and T lymphocytes are positioned to defend you from possible threats. Also, in the case of Hashimoto, immune cells will attack themselves.
However, you may be wondering what it means for your thyroid health. The immune system may be triggered when something happens in the gut, leading to a leaky gut, for instance. Thus, stuff may get through that should not and as a result, the body activates its immune responses. If any thyroid disease has your immune system functioning overtime, this may have negative effects on gut health.
- Nutrients
The condition of the gut as well as the presence of microbes may affect the absorption of micronutrients such as copper, iodine, and copper that are all crucial for your thyroid health. Remember that your microbes have the capability to boost iron’s bioavailability in your gut by producing fatty acids (short-chain).
What’s more, the microbes will control how much iodine you utilize and how it’s circulated and broken down in the body. When it comes to thyroid health, iodine is extremely important. Another condition that may impair the absorption of iodine is an inflammatory bowel.
- Gallbladder
The gall bladder is actually a silent hero and stores bile which is responsible for regulating metabolism through fluctuations in thyroid hormones. It’ll also help you in absorbing and digesting fats.
For those who are dealing with hypothyroidism, the levels of bile acids are reduced. And insufficient bile may badly affect how you absorb and digest nutrients and how your body will deal with hormones and even toxins that it needs to remove.
- Constipation
Constipation may trigger hormone imbalance that results in an increased level of estrogen. If the levels of estrogen increase, the protein, on the other hand, will aim to keep the hormone bound. The same mechanism that can result in too much estrogen being bound may cause the reduction of thyroid hormones.
If the level of circulating thyroid hormone is low, it may cause constipation and weakened gut motility that perpetuates the cycle of hormone imbalances. It’s also an example of how the function of the gut is important.
How to Heal Your Gut?
If you want to enhance your thyroid health, balance your hormones, and manage your autoimmune condition, you need to heal your gut.
Here are some tips that you can follow to keep your gut working at its best:
- Reduce Stress Levels
A high level of stress is hard not only on your gut, but the entire body. Some of the proven ways to reduce your stress are getting a massage, meditation, diffusing essential oil, laughing, yoga, having a pet, waking, and spending time with family or friends.
- Eat Slowly
Eating your feed slowly and chewing it thoroughly helps in promoting full absorption and digestion of nutrients. This, in turn, helps in reducing discomfort and maintaining a healthy gut.
- Sleep 7-8 Hours Everyday
Keep in mind that if you aren’t getting sufficient sleep, it can have a serious effect on your gut health. As a matter of fact, it’ll contribute to more sleep problems. Make sure to get at least 7 to 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night. Knowing which things to avoid before bedtime will also allow you to have quality sleep.
- Drink Plenty of Water
Staying hydrated has beneficial effects on the mucosal lining of the intestines and the balance of good bacteria in your gut. So, drinking plenty of water is one of the simplest ways to promote a healthy gut.
- Change Your Diet
If you limit yourself from consuming high-fat, processed, and high-sugar foods, you’ll be able to maintain a healthy gut. So, instead of eating such foods replace them with something healthier like lean protein and plant-based foods.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, there’s a major connection between thyroid and gut health. If you don’t want to deal with any thyroid problem, make sure to take care of your gut. Avoid things that may adversely affect your gut health since they may result in major problems when not addressed right away.
