Does Your Thyroid Condition Mean You Have to go Gluten-Free?

If you have a thyroid condition and have done some Googling, you’ve probably come across many blogs saying that a gluten-free diet is a must in order for your thyroid health to improve and for you to feel better. Maybe you’ve tried going gluten-free and it made you feel much better, or maybe it didn’t make a difference at all. So is gluten-free the way to go or not?

Association Between Celiac Disease & Autoimmune Thyroid Disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune condition in which even small amounts of gluten can cause damage to the small intestine, leading to malabsorption of nutrients. Is it safe to assume that if you have an autoimmune thyroid disease, you also have celiac disease? No, not always. However, it is important to understand the link between the two conditions.

Celiac disease is associated with an increased prevalence (2-5%) of autoimmune thyroid disease. It has been found that 1 in every 62 people with an autoimmune thyroid disease (1.6%) also have celiac disease, and these percentages are even higher in children. Since the research has clearly established a link between the two conditions (autoimmune thyroid disease and celiac disease), if you have one of them, you should be screened for the other.

What the Research Says About a Gluten-Free Diet for Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis

If you have celiac disease, adherence to a gluten-free diet is advised, as consuming gluten will further damage the small intestine and lead to deficiencies of iron, folic acid, vitamins B6 and B12, vitamin D, and other micronutrients. If you have both celiac disease and an autoimmune thyroid disease, adherence to a gluten-free diet has been shown to improve thyroid outcomes.

What if you have an autoimmune thyroid disease (i.e., Hashimoto's) but do not have celiac disease? Should you be avoiding gluten? Based on the current research, there is only a clear improvement in thyroid health with the elimination of gluten when celiac disease is also present. However, it is likely that if you have Hashimoto's, you may feel better on a gluten-free or gluten-reduced diet for a variety of reasons, although this is not always the case and differs from person to person.

A Final Word

If you have an autoimmune thyroid disease but do not have celiac disease and have been wondering if continuing to eat gluten is doing damage to your thyroid, the answer is that the research does not currently show that this is the case.

It is possible to have a gluten sensitivity without having celiac disease, and for those individuals, consuming gluten can contribute to systemic inflammation and thyroid-related symptoms. In the case of a non-celiac gluten sensitivity, the elimination of gluten may help reduce thyroid-related symptoms.

If you are wondering what dietary strategies are important to incorporate into your daily routine in order to properly manage your thyroid health, you can read my upcoming blog post on 3 Dietary Tips for Managing Hashimoto’s Disease (coming soon!).

Looking For More Support?

If you are unsure about how to eat to support your thyroid health, and would like more guidance, there is so much we can do! If you want to learn more about how naturopathic medicine can improve your thyroid health, you can read more about that here. You can also reach out to us for more information or book a complimentary consult with me here!