Puzzle Piece #1, Thyroids & Gluten Don't Mix

So I recently joined a page on Facebook that is for people who have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. It is really interesting to me how many people have been reading up on this stuff in more 'alternative' books and web sites. As a result, lots and lots of the people with Hashi's have been going gluten-free.

If I've already answered this question before, I'm sorry! But I'd like to post about why people think it's important to stop eating gluten and wheat when you have an autoimmune thyroid condition. From what I can gather, my body, for example, doesn't like gluten. Gluten molecules (I'm probably using the wrong word here...) look really similar to thyroid cells, so when your body creates antibodies against gluten or wheat....those antibodies go on ahead and attack the thyroid too. It's a case of mistaken identity.

I like Chris Kesser's post about this issue quite a lot: "Several studies show a strong link between AITD (both Hashimoto’s and Graves’) and gluten intolerance. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. The link is so well-established that researchers suggest all people with AITD be screened for gluten intolerance...

What explains the connection? It’s a case of mistaken identity. The molecular structure of gliadin, the protein portion of gluten, closely resembles that of the thyroid gland. When gliadin breaches the protective barrier of the gut, and enters the bloodstream, the immune system tags it for destruction. These antibodies to gliadin also cause the body to attack thyroid tissue. This means if you have AITD and you eat foods containing gluten, your immune system will attack your thyroid.

Even worse, the immune response to gluten can last up to 6 months each time you eat it. This explains why it is critical to eliminate gluten completely from your diet if you have AITD. There’s no “80/20″ rule when it comes to gluten. Being “mostly” gluten-free isn’t going to cut it. If you’re gluten intolerant, you have to be 100% gluten-free to prevent immune destruction of your thyroid."

I have left in the citations and links to sources because it's all backed up by one study or another.

About.com has a whole page dedicated to this phenomenon written by a woman named Mary Shomon, a self-made expert and author. Anyway, this page is really interesting. The high points:

• A significant number of people with autoimmune thyroid disease also have Celiac Disease.
• Research published in Digestive Diseases and Sciences indicates that after three to six months on a gluten-free diet, organ-specific antibodies will disappear. 
• Some researchers believe that undiagnosed celiac disease (i.e., you shouldn't be eating wheat and gluten but you still are) can trigger other autoimmune diseases.

(To be fair, another study published more recently from the Scandinavian Journal of Gastoenterology indicates that even going gluten-free cannot stop an autoimmune thyroid attack. As always, there is conflicting information out there that I feel I need to represent!)

Interestingly enough, I haven't gluten in a long time. And remember how my Physician's Assistant had my thyroid antibodies checked awhile back? They were 'normal'. So....? Food for though.

This dude's web site (Jeffrey Dach) has a story about someone with a gluten sensitivity. The part I thought was most interesting is how eating something that you are sensitive to could trigger an attack on any part of your body. He says, "Autioimmune thyroid disease is especially common among people with gluten sensitivity, with elevated anti-thyroid antibodies (Hashimotos) which decrease after initiating a gluten free diet.(24) One can make a case for gluten sensitivity testing for all patients with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimotos)." 

Of course the word to describe this reaction--inflammation. "The immune response involves production of various antibodies and immune cells which damages the small intestine, reducing its absorptive ability.  This is called malabsorption, and results in the inability to absorb key vitamins and minerals such as Iron, Calcium, folate and B12.  These abnormalities will show up on the blood count as iron deficiency anemia, and B12/folate deficiency anemia." 

Funnily enough I have had borderline anemia at least since my son was born.

I don't really understand fully what is going on with my body, but between the stuff out there suggesting gluten is bad for my thyroid (i.e. that it is possibly encouraging my own body to kill off an organ I need...) and the IgG markers I have saying that gluten and wheat are inflammatory to me, I think I'm better off staying away from it, don't you?