Gluten is a complex protein which can be found in such cereals as wheat, barley, and rye, among others. While for many people, foods containing gluten are a valuable source of iron, calcium, and vitamin B12, for others, a gluten-free diet can be lifesaving.
What happens when gluten enters a human body
Gluten starts to destroy intestinal villi, increasing the permeability of intestinal walls. This, in its turn, may lead to so-called leaky gut syndrome.
Normally, intestinal walls are only slightly permeable, which allows nutrients to enter the bloodstream.
When the permeability increases, this allows other things to breach the intestinal walls and enter the bloodstream, such as bacteria, viruses, allergens, and breakdown products, which then spread throughout the body and cause diseases. The immune system reacts to this and ends up fighting its own cells. This is how autoimmune diseases develop.
When can gluten make Hashimoto’s disease worse?
If you have an autoimmune disease, you can decrease the burden on your immune system by eating less gluten. This will have positive effects on your condition.
There are several strategies for avoiding gluten depending on your health.
First of all, if you have celiac disease, which is a genetic autoimmune disorder, it’s better to go completely gluten-free. In people with this disease, gluten-containing products are not digested well.
Celiac syndrome symptoms include low thyroid activity, quick weight gain or loss, increased menstrual aches, diarrhea or constipation, uncomfortable feeling in the joints, increased tiredness, and concentration loss1.
In patients with celiac syndrome, gluten causes the immune system to attack the intestinal mucosa.
It is important to understand that by avoiding gluten, you can become free of celiac disease symptoms. At the same time, the load on your immune system will decrease, which can alleviate the manifestations of Hashimoto’s disease. However, this does not cure Hashimoto’s, and you will stil have to continue treatment.
Second, it is better to decrease your consumption of gluten if you have non-celiac gluten sensitivity. This condition can also lead to symptoms similar to those of celiac disease. In this case, a gluten-free diet should be maintained until remission. Once you feel well and lab test results are back to normal, you can start consuming gluten again while continuing to monitor your condition.
To choose your dietetic strategy correctly, it is important to separate celiac disease from non-celiac gluten intolerability.
- Celiac disease is genetic and autoimmune, while gluten sensitivity is not related to genetics and is not considered an autoimmune condition.
- Celiac disease is lifelong, and the body’s reaction to gluten does not improve or disappear over time in celiac patients. Gluten sensitivity, on the other hand, can be either temporary or permanent.
- In the case of celiac disease, diet change is the only remedy; in people with gluten sensitivity, diet changes can be less strict and may only be temporary.
How do I adhere to a gluten-free diet?
Avoid food containing wheat, rye, or barley (unless labeled as gluten-free). Bakery goods, cookies, cakes, pasta, breakfast cereals, and even beer contain gluten. Gluten may also be found1 in ketchup, mayonnaise, potato chips, ice cream, or soy sauce. Oats deserve special attention: they don’t contain gluten but often grow or are stored next to wheat. If this is not the case, the manufacturer may add this information to the label.
Most common cereals can be replaced by peas, chickpeas, quinoa, millet, or amaranth. Instead of usual flour, try using one made of beans, buckwheat, or corn.
Look for gluten-free foods in supermarkets. You can even find them among products that typically contain gluten, including canned goods, bakery and bread, and pre-cooked meals. Pay attention to the label; it should state that the item is gluten-free.
Eat probiotics. Coconut yogurt or kefir, sauerkraut, and kombucha are all sources of good bacteria. These bacteria improve intestinal flora which decreases inflammation, resulting in the alleviation of autoimmune thyroiditis symptoms.
Eat fresh produce. A typical North American diet contains lots of processed foods, so residents of this region should consume more raw vegetables, fruits, and berries. However, it’s important to consume fruit in moderation, because fructose can increase the risk of obesity and diabetes. People with Hashimoto’s disease might feel better in another region, such as Southern Europe. The Mediterranean diet largely consists of fresh vegetables, fruit, and fish, which is much better than processed foods.
Pay attention to protein consumption. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, try eating more beans and nuts. They are gluten-free and help to satisfy your protein requirements.
Try new recipes. Going gluten-free means that you have to forgo many foods you are used to. This will inevitably have an impact on your daily menu. Look at these pages for some great gluten-free recipes:
The hidden dangers of a gluten-free diet
People are becoming more aware of the negative effects of gluten, which has led to increased popularity of gluten-free foods.
According to several studies, the primary consumers of gluten-free goods are people without a diagnosis of gluten intolerance.
Other surveys have shown that respondents were often unable to explain why they were buying such foods or referred to their “beneficial effects on the gastrointestinal system and health in general”.
However, if Hashimoto’s patients eat gluten-free products without a clear indication that they need to, this can sometimes actually lead to increased inflammation.
Gluten-free bars, cookies, and bakery products can often contain more sugar than their gluten-containing counterparts. Sugar, in turn, increases inflammation several times more strongly than gluten. As such, if you see “gluten-free” on the box, don’t put the item in your basket right away; read the label first. Decreasing the severity of thyroiditis requires a holistic approach; if you have decided to go for a gluten-free diet, try to avoid sugar as well.
There is a common opinion that avoiding gluten completely can improve the condition of a patient with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, but it is not quite as straightforward as that. Gluten intolerance and Hashimoto’s disease can have similar symptoms: weight loss, tummy and joint pain, skin and mucosa rashes, chronic fatigue. In the case of celiac disease, going gluten-free can alleviate your symptoms either fully or partially, and this might be all you need to do in terms of treatment. With Hashimoto’s disease, however, you will need to continue treating your condition in any case.
In addition, it may be difficult for a person with autoimmune thyroiditis to assess the effect of avoiding gluten. Medics recommend complex lifestyle changes: to improve sleep quality, to meditate, to be physically active, to decrease consumption of sugar, and to avoid gluten. Following these recommendations will probably make you feel better, but it is very difficult to determine which factors have the strongest effects.
When could avoiding gluten worsen the situation?
Going gluten-free can potentially enhance autoimmune thyroiditis symptoms and make you feel worse. Foods with gluten contain almost twice as much iron, copper, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins A and B than equivalent gluten-free produce. As such, avoiding gluten can lead to deficiencies of these elements. If you’re a vegetarian and do not eat animal products rich in vitamins and microelements, gluten avoidance might impair your wellbeing and enhance your autoimmune thyroiditis symptoms. When going gluten-free, it’s important to plan your diet in detail; a dietologist can help with this.
Gluten acts as a probiotic: it serves as food for “good” intestinal flora and stimulates bifidobacterial activity in the large intestine. Changing the amount or activity of such flora leads to irritable bowel syndrome and increases inflammatory processes. Your physician might prescribe you probiotics to counteract this.
To sum up
The debate over the advantages and disadvantages of gluten is ongoing in the medical community. Nevertheless, there are some basic principles that can help you make a balanced decision:
- In case of celiac disease, complete avoidance of gluten helps to get rid of many typical symptoms and improve general condition
- Going gluten-free probably helps people with Hashimoto’s disease as well
If you decide to go gluten-free, it’s best to take a systematic approach. Here are several important rules:
- Eat more fresh and unprocessed produce.
- Optimize your sleeping regimen and be physically active.
- Follow your doctor’s advice on medication and probiotics.
- If you don’t have celiac disease, don’t exclude gluten from your diet at once; do it step by step. This helps reduce the stress on your body.