Link between Celiac Disease and Your Thyroid

 Links between Celiac and Thyroid:

You may have noticed that i changed the titles to a few of my posts having to do with the thyroid.  I'm amending my sequence for the explanation of your thyroid and celiac disease because i really wanted to help people see there is a connection between the two.  I apologize if it causes confusion but i encourage you to read all of my posts that have to do with the thyroid as everything will correlate and make sense.
Thanks for your patience!


There is more and more research that is finding that when you have celiac disease the risk of developing a condition that can affect the thyroid and can compromise a persons overall health is significantlly increased. There is a group of Italian researchers that have conducted studies and have come to the conclusion that the prevalence of celiac disease in those with thyroid disease is significantly high.  They said that "It is also possible that the association between celiac disease and autoimmunity in untreated celiac patients is caused by the gluten intake."  They also wrote that "undiagnosed celiac disease can cause other disorders by switching on some as yet unknown immunological mechanism."  The researchers believe that all those with thyroid disorders can benefit by being screened for celiac disease.  The AGA (American Gastro Association Institute) however does not recommend it.  Why doesn't that surprise me?

Anyway, research has found that people with celiac are four times more likely to develop an autoimmune thyroid condition.  That is why it is so important to stay gluten free and not cheat when you have celiac. Even if you don't have celiac there is quite a bit of information that has come out about wheat and how many people are reacting adversely to it because of the hybridization of it.  It's important to remember that gluten causes inflammation and can affect your overall health and aggravate other autoimmune issues you already have. (see my post on celiac disease issues and helpful tips where i discuss more about wheat).

Celiac disease and autoimmune thyroid disorder seem to have a common genetic predisposition.  This could explain why so many more celiacs, more than the rest of the population, have thyroid issues.

I highly encourage anyone who has thyroid issues to get tested for celiac disease as well.  This will help in thwarting off other health issues that could develop if this disease continues to go on untreated.

There are two common thyroid conditions:
1. Hypothyroidism- which is an underactive thyroid.  This is when there is a decrease in thyroid production.
2. Hyperthyroidism-an overactive thyroid.  This is when there is an increase in thyroid production.

Hashimoto's Disease is a form of hypothyroidism. It's the most common form of hypothyroidism there is. Graves Disease is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism.

Here are some symptoms of hypothyroidism:

*fatigue
*depression
*dry/brittle hair
*hair loss (especially in front of head)
*swollen/enlarged thyroid
*muscle cramps
*constipation
*weight gain
*low body temp
*dry skin

Here are some symptoms of hyperthyroidism:

*weight loss (even when your apetite is increased)
*rapid heart rate, palpatations
*increased apetite
*sweating
*anxiety,nervousness
*tremors especially in hands and fingers
*fatigue, muscle weakness
*difficulty sleeping
*fine/brittle hair
*enlarged thyroid
*increased sensitivity to heat
*changes in menstrual cycle
*fine/brittle hair
*thinning skin
*more frequent bowel movements

If you have many of these symptoms it is important to consult your physician or naturopath about the possibility of having a thyroid disorder.  It also could be very helpful for you to check your basal temperature first thing in the mornings for a week and take the results to them as well.  The thyroid can be very tricky and hard to diagnose because of the tsh blood test that many physicians order.  The tsh blood test is not very reliable.  (see my post on celiac disease and thyroid part II for more information about the tsh blood test and why it's not reliable when diagnosing a thyroid issue).

I hope that this information is helpful for you and your thyroid issues.  Please read my correlating thyroid posts for more helpful and detailed info on the thyroid.

Always make sure to do your research on any treatments/medications your doctor wants to try you on.  It could even be helpful to get a second opinion.

Remember that i am neither a doctor nor a naturopath.  All of the information in my posts are for educational purposes only and are based on my own experiences and research.  Please, always contact your physician/naturopath before starting or stopping any medications and or treatments.