A consumer with thyroid problems that wanders the vitamin aisles of their retail store with limited navigation may fail to realize the full potential of vitamins and supplements. Many mass market brands lack sufficient doses of the necessary vitamins that can help thyroid problems. It would be relatively easy for a consumer, taking a do-it-yourself (“DIY”) approach to assembling their vitamin routine to miss the right mix of vitamins that may assist thyroid function. There are certain vitamins that can interfere with common thyroid medication, so it is important to work with a company that can adapt your vitamin to your thyroid issues.
Personalized vitamins are customized to individual needs. Users start with an online survey, where they answer questions about their individual health and lifestyle profile. A well-designed survey will ask questions about thyroid issues, and potential medications that can interact with vitamins. Once the survey is complete, these companies will match you with a personalized set of recommendations. The most common form of personalized vitamins come in the form of a pill pack. These companies will bundle suggested vitamins in a daily serving packet, and even sort by vitamins to be taken at morning and night. The limitation of these models are they can overprescribe vitamins, sometimes suggesting as many as 10 daily pills and powders. The cost can also be high; it is not unusual to see pill packs reach $100 or more per month. For many consumers, this approach is not sustainable from a pill load or cost perspective. Another model will match the consumer with a customized all-in-one multivitamin tablet. This approach can limit the number of pills and incremental cost. The main value of any of these options is the impact of personalization on thyroid issues.
Vitamins that Matter for Thyroid Function
Are there vitamins for a low thyroid? The answer is not a simple yes or no. It is more of a yes, but… There are vitamins that can help support your thyroid gland, such as iodine- this important element and electrolyte is useful in safe doses to help your thyroid perform essential tasks. The thyroid leverages iodine to make its hormones, so if you are deficient in iodine, the gland can’t do its job and you become hypothyroid. We primarily get Iodine from Iodinated food products, such as Iodized salt or processed foods. However, these days many of us are attempting to avoid table salt and use other salts such as Kosher or Sea salts which are not iodinated. Similarly, we avoid processed foods whenever possible. It is advisable to take a healthy dose of iodine, especially when pregnant. However, there is not a clear relationship between more and better. Taking too much is not healthy and can impair your health.
Another vitamin that has been used in certain thyroid conditions is selenium. It may be helpful in certain autoimmune phenomena, but its benefit has not fully been illustrated in the evidence. It may help prevent the eye complications that are associated with various forms of eye diseases. However, it is not recommended for the general population interested in vitamins to help their thyroid.
There are many products on the market touted as supplements for thyroid health. Some also claim to be “natural” thyroid replacement products. The main concern with these is that most often they are composed of ground up glands of pigs or cows. The manufacturers hope to replace human thyroid hormone with this impure and poorly replicated version. These products are not well regulated, and their contents can be extremely varied from one batch to the other, often containing additional illicit ingredients. It is recommended to avoid any products that claims to be a form of “natural thyroid hormone” as they are far less natural to your body than the legitimate forms of thyroid hormone that are prescribed by a physician. Many of the symptoms that people think are due to a low thyroid (low energy, thinning hair, GI symptoms, fatigue) are often due to other vitamin deficiencies such as Vitamin D, iron and some B vitamins.
Navigating the Vitamin World with Personalized Recommendations
Many consumers are trying to self-diagnose their vitamin needs, and it is a poorly navigated market. Most doctors and pharmacists have limited training on nutritional supplements. The retail clerk is not the best resource to navigate the confusing and overwhelming vitamin aisles. Fortunately, there are an emerging set of personalized vitamin companies that have built technology to make it easier to discover your customized daily vitamin routine. It is important to seek a personalized vitamin company that you can trust. Many of these companies are backed by marketers, or larger global supplement companies that want to maximize the number of pills prescribed. Finding a company that is led by reputable physicians and scientific experts is the best approach. It is ideal if you can find a resource with an endocrinologist involved with the company You may also think that you have a thyroid issue, and by taking a personalized vitamin, you may discover that you had other vitamin deficiencies that produce similar symptoms of fatigue. Thyroid issues are complex, but your vitamin routine does not have to be difficult when you personalize your daily vitamin.