Is There a Connection Between Hashimotos Thyroiditis and Celiac Disease?

Update: Please see my follow-up post here describing how I did not do the TRUE gluten free diet properly as suspected in this post. My conclusion in the post below that it would not help is only based on doing it improperly. This post describes the proper way to do the gluten free diet. My journey shows the need for great care in understanding whether you are doing something right before concluding it doesn’t work. 🙂 And this post describes the success it had!

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For many years I’ve wondered if I could somehow reverse my Hashimotos Thyroiditis by finding the “root” problem. I began to entertain the thinking that there was a connection between autoimmune thyroid disease and gluten sensitivity. After some research, I found articles that seemed to point me further in that direction like the following one from Mary Shomon:

According to research recently reported on in the medical journal Digestive Diseases and Sciences, a significant number of patients with autoimmune thyroid disease also have celiac disease. Celiac disease is a disorder that causes the intestines to react abnormally to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt,kamut, and other related grains.

“…researchers found that…organ-specific autoantibodies (i.e., thyroid antibodies) — will disappear after 3 to 6 months of a gluten-free diet.”

Celiac disease, which is sometimes referred to as celiac sprue, sprue, or gluten intolerance, makes it difficult for the body to properly absorb nutrients from foods.

You can read the full article here.

Now, the reason I brought this up is that I tried a gluten free diet for 6 months to prove to the world that the connection was there! Prior to this I was already enjoying success in eating according to the wonderful book, Nourishing Traditions, written by Sally Fallon, and my medication had dropped by one third so I thought I was on the “right road”. You can learn how to make much of this food through this fabulous online eCourse based on this type of food preparation which I highly recommend! So I added to that a gluten free diet in 2006 just knowing I was going to find the “answer” to this disease. 🙂 Okay, well… I tried. I not only went gluten free, but sugar, and preservative (which I do anyway) free, too! I also consumed live raw milk based Kefir to help re-supply the gut with probiotics. My antibody count went from somewhere around 1,800 to like 3,400 in the six months! As you can imagine, I was horrified. I expected the opposite. I was ready to celebrate but you can imagine the crash I experienced when I heard the numbers. My TSH improved but my dose of medication was slightly increased during this time also so that didn’t really mean anything to me.

Am I saying that a gluten free diet can’t improve this disease? No. But I am saying that it didn’t work for me. Reflecting back on all of this brought up some interesting points.

I did not eliminate corn during this time. I have a hunch that corn could be a culprit. Don’t ask me why. I will continue my research on this one. I have heard many discouraging studyies on the dangers of corn in our diet so I will just leave it at that until I have a better grasp on the possible concerns with consuming it in our diet.
I continued to eat raw honey (which I don’t believe is a culprit but I will confess to it’s usage in moderation).
I was not exercising to the capacity I believe would aid in the healing process.
I was not taking any supplements at that time which could indicate a “missing component” to the process.

I would love to get feedback from others that have tried a similar journey. I truly believe we can work together to find the natural cure!

Maureen

Disclaimer: All posts are describing my personal journey through health issues and are in no way meant to guide anyone towards any method in particular. I am not a medical practitioner or have a dietary or medical license, and this blog is not intended to be taken as authoritative advice. Please see your doctor, or health professional before making any drastic diet changes! Also, occasionally I find others to partner with whom I have had tremendous help from and therefore, there may be paid advertisements and links to support them and help me financially run this website.

Posted

August 16, 2007

autoimmune, gluten sensitivity, hashimotos thyroiditis, Mary Shomon, Sally Fallon, thyroid disease, thyroiditis, Wheat Intolerance

maureen

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Comments

79 responses to “Is There a Connection Between Hashimotos Thyroiditis and Celiac Disease?”

JanetDarbey

December 11, 2011

I noticed at the beginning of this thread that someone states that they don’t eat corn in Europe….oh yes they do, its added to most things that are processed and many breads, cereals and biscuits and cakes have huge amounts of corn in them.
Doug

January 11, 2012

Although there is evidence that gluten and Hashimoto’s are related, what is interesting is there is also evidence that high Bromine intake relative to iodine intake is also a cause. In many areas, Bromine is used in bread (was iodine before WW II). If someone avoids gluten they are also likely avoiding one of the key sources of Bromine other than certain sodas and other drinks. The atomic structure of Bromine and Iodine are very close so it is easy to suspect that high Bromine could cause issues for the Thyroid.
meli

January 18, 2012

i think the effects of diet on autoimmune disease seem to be complex, and maybe different for different people.

i have hashimoto’s and symptoms of adrenal problems, and i personally have symptoms from a number of foods that do not* contain gluten. all grains but brown rice, as well as most fruits and vegetables, to be exact. put simply i have a reaction of some kind to most foods, and exposure to one thing seems to increase my reaction to other things.

raw, unfiltered honey seems to cause symptoms for me, possibly because it stimulates the immune system. so i use it only sometimes.

aerobic exercise improves my energy and mood, and clears my head a little. but this became true only after (at least temporarily): modifying my daily diet to eliminate most foods, most chemicals, and some vitamins and minerals; increasing my water intake, switching to distilled or purified water, switching to sea salt, and slowly working up to more active exercise like dance and running. previously, strenuous exercise often made me so fatigued that i could lie down and go to sleep at any hour.

i do consume a wider variety of fruits, vegetables, vitamins, and minerals on a weekly rather than daily basis, because i am worried about malnutrition, poor antioxidants, and cancer!
maureen

January 19, 2012

Thank you for your comment. I too have other food allergies/reactions. However, the scariest of them all (head inflammation) has been so minimized by eliminating gluten meticulously, that I am not walking around scared all the time I am going to die! I do believe that healing starts in the gut and all types of foods can cause inflammatory reactions depending on our individual circumstances internally. Over time, I think eliminating gluten and allowing the gut to repair is a big step to healing – but for most of us with chronically impaired intestinal permeability issues, it can take months to years to reverse and heal. I am only going on year ONE, so I am feeling like I am on my way but possibly still a ways away. But at least I have started. 🙂 It’s great to see someone listening to their body like you are. I hope you continue to find what works for you. 🙂 MO
Laura

January 19, 2012

I’ve been gluten free for a couple of years and I noticed I no longer have dermatitis or nasal allergy problems. If I do have gluten I’ll get a rash within 2 or three days of consumption. I recently tried raw milk and within days I got a stye in my eye, indicator that my immune system was screwy. The last time this happened about a year and a half ago, my thyroid activity was low and my immune system was freaky. I just found an article online that connects a bacteria in raw foods, including milk, with hashimotos.
j

January 21, 2012

never eat corn if u suffer from any form of hypothyroidism.
ree

January 27, 2012

Sounds like we are all on a similar path I have just been informed by my naturopath to avoid all grains and try raw milk. Since my first acupuncture session my gut acid has changed and excuse me but less gas. I have hashimotos also
JoAnne

February 5, 2012

I was treated briefly for borderline Hashimoto’s in my 20’s and then taken off meds. 2 years ago I was rediagnosed. Had become lethargic, gained 24 pounds, no energy, and apparently had a 2.3″ goiter and TSH of 9.7. I am now 50 and 4 months ago I awoke with swollen, hooded, eyes. Am now on my 7th doctor (MD’s, allergist, endocronologist, opthamologist, now an Eastern doctor). Graves was ruled out by an MRI but both the opthamologist and Eastern doctor believe the inflammation is due to thyroid.

My new doctor started me on gluten free last week. Has anyone else with Hashimoto’s had eye issues? I know it’s normally a symptom of overactive thyroid, but my doctor believes I have thyroid “storms” particularly when under stress. I am otherwise active and pretty healthy. . .the eye problem is leading to severe headaches and a compromised quality of life. Any ideas would be most appreciated.
Sandy

February 5, 2012

I am curious to Maureen’s reference to “head inflamation”. I would love to know more about this comment and the connection to Hashimoto’s.
Lynn

February 9, 2012

I was very interested to read this post and all the replies that were left. I have been on a gluten free diet for the past 2 years. Although my skin trouble and intestinal trouble cleared my asthma and now thyroid have somehow gone astray. I have been told by a NP that I have hashi’s and I am now constantly taking asthma meds. I have been struggling trying to find the answer and only recently came across corn gluten as a possible problem (causing both asthma and possible thyroid issues). As it’s in soooo many GF items, soaps, and detergents I wonder if this might be the case. I’d be interested to know if Maureen had any success with eliminating corn, or if anyone else has, since this was written. (To the poster who commented on corn being eaten in Europe… I wonder if they consume as much genetically modified corn as we do??).
Benjamin S

February 20, 2012

Watch out for that ‘Raw milk’ stuff. Not only does the milk contain the good antibodies, but also the BAD antibodies — like the kind that actually causes autoimmune disease.

Which cows have autoimmune diseases? NOBODY can tell. Unless you run the milk through all kinds of blood testing to see how many antibodies are self-attacking antibodies, you won’t know.

And you won’t know after drinking it either — because the damage those antibodies do early on is very, very slow. But if the damage is enough to startle your own system, your own immune system will start making them.

The best thing is to drink milk only after those antibodies have been killed.
maureen

February 27, 2012

Hi Lynn,

I think we will continue to hear more about the effect of other grains on our health too. In fact, I am starting to think it is way more common to have secondary issues that need to be addressed after gluten has been removed. It is likely a rare few who have full relief from taking wheat gluten out only. I got too comfortable thinking eliminating wheat gluten was the answer to everything but I am now convinced there is much more to it. Some say stablizing your insulin by watching carbs alone, could be part of the answer. Others, including myself, think other grains have been tampered with over the years, similiarly to wheat. The book Wheat Belly (I have a link on the right side of my website) helped me to see that eliminating wheat is just the first step, albeit one of the most important steps to healing. I’m suspicious of soy, corn and even rice lately. I will just have to eliminate all grains and then add one in at a time to see if I see a difference. Thanks for you comment!
maureen

February 27, 2012

Hi Crusinperrins,

I can only give you symptoms of this problem. I have been exposed to low doses of gluten (unintentionally as I have had guests who have used my kitchen for gluten containing foods and I believe that I am getting it even through washing the dishes together). So, I begin the job of getting all that out of my kitchen again. I had been so much better for many months after being truly gluten free. Now I am suffering from symptoms again. Along with symptoms of stomach bloating, palpitations and dizziness, I get an unmistakable feeling of pressure in my head leading to feeling of “passing out”. I understand this could be a much more serious reaction to gluten (if not other allergic substances) and yet, just eliminating gluten almost completely eliminated these symptoms. So, I am assuming I have had low doses of gluten. I am also concerned about cross-reactive grains as I was traveling and eating much more pre-made gluten free food which is always high in grains. So, going without grains for a while is what I intend to do. The head symptoms always comes on worse while laying down and most times I need to sit up to get relief. Could it be a weak blood/brain barrier? Most likely. But I am not interested yet in getting all kinds of brain testing, etc. when I know that taking gluten out resulted in such healing. For now, I know what I need to do. I am also looking to see what other food allergies I can test for in order to see which foods are safe for me to eat. I hope that answers your question. As for the “head inflammation and Hashimotos”, I think it’s more about gluten at this point. See this link: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/undergroundwellness/2012/02/10/change-your-brain-change-your-body-with-dr-amen
Al

March 3, 2012

The thing about corn is that most of it is genetically modified. That’s what is mainly bad about it. Any GMO food is bad for consumption. The GMO is making our immune systems go haywire, besides the other things it does to some people’s bodies. It seems there is a science to kill people off.
vanya

March 8, 2012

hi, i agree with you totally. i have been searching for years and i have spoken with many doctors. stop eating gluten is only one step. For me with high antibodies the road for this is- first, stop eating gluten, stop eating dairy, stop eating yeast, stop drinking coffee. Second, take zinc and selenium for lowering antibodies and third check for vitamin d deficiency. even if you will not disappear the antibodies, you will feel a little better. sometimes i feel sad that i can not enjoy ice cream, bread or a chocolate, but i think all the bad food causes us hashimoto, allergies, and so on…. at the first place.
maureen

March 21, 2012

Vanya, Thank you for your comment. Also, I am thinking that one thing that is not talked about enough is Leaky Gut! When food particles are getting into the blood stream where they don’t belong, I truly believe there might be another factor in this too! I hope to do a blog post on this very soon! Thanks for stopping by! Mo 🙂
Lori

April 30, 2012

Hi, I went to my endocrinologist in December 2011 and he put me on Armour Thyroid. I was feeling really pretty good. In Febuary my right elbow joint started hurting and then my left arm also. Now my knees and heels. My doctor is out of the country till August 2012. I also have goiters that they are watching and will look in to them further when he returns. The pain in my joints are unbelievable sometimes. I started accupucture two weeks ago but have yet to find relief from the joint pain. I was wondering, how do you find out if I am Gluten intollerant? And if I go gluten free, might this help with these symptoms and also my stomach bloating.?
SuzyQ

May 6, 2012

I, too, have Hashimoto’s and have been running to doctors with a myriad of illnesses and symptoms. I have mild asthma, chronic bacterial sinus infections, chronic bronchitis, tree, grass and mold allergies among many complaints, all diagnosed in the past 10-12 years.

Suddenly, in the past 18 months I lost over 20 pounds (3 sizes) and began an odyssey to find out why. I am so thin people have shown much concern, asking if I have cancer, or if I am ill. I finally went to an endocrinologist thinking I had Addison’s. He found no problems other than the Hashimoto’s which was diagnosed when I was 45 (now 69). I have a gripe-y abdomen most of the time. I have undergone an abdominal ultrasound, CT scan, and finally an MRI — all negative for a problem. I have also had a colonoscopy (ok there too).

None of these many docs have been able to determine what my problem is. NO ONE has ever suggested a celiac test. Last week my dear friend who has celiac said she thinks I may have it too.

Anyone have any ideas about this?
maureen

May 25, 2012

Hello Susy(?), If you are intimidated by getting a Celiac test, perhaps just start with a gluten sensitivity test (you can do this without a doctor’s order) from http://www.enterolab.com/StaticPages/TestInfo.aspx#stool_gluten_sensitivity if I am right. If this test comes back positive, you can assume you have a problem with gluten. However, if it is important for you to have a Celiac test, you might want to make sure you do that right away before changing your diet to exclude gluten. If I understand right, you must be consuming gluten for that test to be accurate. I am sorry you have to go through this. It is so frustrating. I hope you get to the bottom of this very soon! Take care! Mo
maureen

May 25, 2012

Hello jilmoore, You can get a gluten test here: http://www.enterolab.com/StaticPages/TestInfo.aspx#stool_gluten_sensitivity without a doctor’s orders I believe. Everyone reacts differently to going gluten free so it would be good to just give it a try, HOWEVER, do not start until you take the necessary testing for gluten sensitivity which, for accurate results needs you to be on gluten at the time of the testing. You might want to have your doctor check your thyroid levels if you haven’t done that yet. If you don’t have a doctor to do that at this time, you can order a thyroid panel from mymedlab.com so you will have an idea if there is any connection with your thyroid and your symptoms while waiting for your doctor’s return. I hope that helps. I am sorry it took so long to get back to you. I have been away from the computer for a few weeks due to some personal issues. Take care and hope you feel better soon. Mo 🙂
Velise9

September 19, 2012

Joanne– I also have weird eye symptoms that I believe are associated with my hashimotos, but all doctors tell me it shouldn’t. My actual vision is okay, but I have what I’d call an aura in my vision always, feel like my eyes are dilated or numb, etc. I hope you see this as you posted a long while ago!

I’m going to try a gluten free diet, even though I’ve tested negative for a sensitivity. Then I’ll slowly take out other things. I’m so tired of these symptoms, I’m only 30 and I’ve felt off since I was 12. The brain fog, fatigue, and other symptoms are overwhelming.
Unza

May 12, 2013

I think the problem with the gluten free diet is truly getting gluten free. I also think that there is a clear relationship between GMO foods and this horrible disease. A few decade ago the government allowed companies like Monsanto to genetically modify the wheat, corn and many other foods. This was to yield larger, bug resistant crops (they altered the genetic material of our crops so that bugs would die and be repelled and so that the crops could stay in silos without molding). Remember that what they feed cows, chickens, farmed fish is GMO feed. I believe this is the reason that those of us (Hashi’s pts) who desperately need to be free of this genetically altered wheat, corn, soy etc. can’t possibly be unless all they eat is organic fruit & vegetables and organic free ranged poultry and grass fed beef that is NOT fed GMO feed. THIS is what needs to be known about these auto-immune diseases and getting truly gluten free. WE MUST MAKE OUR GOVERNMENT label GMO foods and remove GMO foods but Monsanto is a very rich and powerful business in this country. They don’t allow GMOs in Europe, Australia, Japan and other countries. I think they will find that the GMOs in our food supply is why we can’t heal our guts to make Hashi’s better. And they may find that GMOs are why this country has been stricken with record #s of Hashi’s, autism, Type 2 diabetes etc.
maureen

May 12, 2013

Bravo! You are bringing up a very important point about our food supply! I totally agree with you! After I wrote this post (now 6 years ago!), I have come to understand more about the things you are mentioning. I am now on a 100% organic diet and consuming grass fed pastured beef and hoping to eventually get fully organic feed only eggs from pastured chickens. This is not very easy or budget friendly but I have found much success with this way of eating. I will link my most recent journey post here in case you didn’t see it. Bravo to you for bringing up these very important aspects to the discussion! Thank you for your comment!
Urooj

June 8, 2013

While toxins in our food supply are a very real concern, isn’t Hashimoto’s genetic? Without that particular gene (and of course, an environmental stress) we would not have developed it.
maureen

June 8, 2013

Hi Ausyeda, As far as I know, you are right! We need to be pre-disposed to Hashimoto’s but there are so many other autoimmune diseases one can develop so even if one is not genetically inclined to one autoimmune disease does not really mean they can’t develop another. Thank you for your comment!
KG

August 14, 2013

It is wonderful reading everyone’s comments and learning. I have hashimoto’s and have been gluten and dairy free for 6 weeks now. it is getting harder for me because its theres not a lot I can eat and eating the same things day in and day out is very frustrating. From all the websites I’ve read about hashi’s when put together there isn’t much to eat. You can’t eat gluten, dairy, soy, corn, potatos, pear, peaches, black beans, broccoli, cauliflower, collard greens, mustard greens, kale, brussel sprouts or peanuts. What is there left to eat. If it wasn’t for all the other auto immune diseases we can get if we don’t eat properly I would simply give up and go back to eating like a normal person.
maureen

August 14, 2013

KG – Perhaps you will be inspired by some of my posts on the GAPS Diet. Here’s one in particular. Also, here’s an article by Dr. Kharrazian which I like a lot that describes a diet good for healing the gut. He doesn’t make as much of a deal about cruciferous vegetables as he does gluten. You also might like to check out the Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis Support group where I will be doing a month long gluten elimination series and hopefully will give people ideas on foods to eat in the process. Just “like” the page and you will get the updates as I do the posts. 🙂 Thank you for your comment!
Lisa

November 17, 2013

I have had Hashimotos for about 20 years now and Just recently learned about the gluten connection and trying to go gluten-free as well. I also have developed peripheral neuropathy , which is usually related to diabetes, but they have ruled that out. Has anyone else had trouble with neuropathy related to gluten or autoimmune thyroid disease?
maureen

November 18, 2013

Hi Lisa! Thank you for your comment. I have found that ANY symptom almost can be related to gluten. Have you heard my interview yet?

http://gnowfglins.com/2013/11/15/kyf-051-hashimotos-thyroiditis-with-maureen-valdivia/

Also, you may need a bit more than a basic gluten free diet. You can find my free 8 part gluten free series here:

http://myhashimotosthyroiditis.com/hashimotos-thyroiditis-lets-go-gluten-free-lets-go-gluten-free-series-1/

And if you get this message in time, I highly recommend the free Gluten Summit going on right now until tomorrow. It can also be purchased as a set of 29 gluten experts possibly even after the event. It’s AMAZING the research that is out and confirms that gluten (even in a tiny amount – less than you can see) can trigger autoimmune conditions. 🙁

https://gg110.infusionsoft.com/go/tgs/Hashihope/

I hope some of these references will help…hang in there. You CAN heal!