Hypothyroid and intermittent fasting: The benefits, common challenges, and best practices

In a nutshell

Multiple studies confirm that hypothyroid and intermittent fasting can go pretty well together offering benefits like:

• Healthy weight loss
• Reduced inflammation
• Improved insulin sensitivity

Yet, despite these benefits, there also might be some drawbacks caused by a wrong approach to fasting, including issues like additional stress, slowed metabolism due to prolonged fasting windows or extreme restrictions, and nutrient deficiencies. To avoid these issues, it’s important to plan your IF schedule properly, choose healthy foods, and personalize your approach to your specific needs.

Although it is a popular approach for weight loss and burning body fat, intermittent fasting is mainly known for its ability to reset your health and reduce inflammation, hence, protecting your organs against chronic diseases and aiding with symptoms of existing conditions. Due to this reason, IF is trending among women with PCOS, diabetes, and many others. But what about hypothyroid and intermittent fasting? Let’s figure it out!

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Understanding Hypothyroidism and the Challenges It Brings

What is hypothyroidism? In a nutshell, it’s a condition caused by the thyroid gland. When it’s underactive, the gland doesn’t produce sufficient amounts of thyroid hormone–the primary hormone in your body that controls how it transforms the food you consume into energy (aka metabolism).

Most often, hypothyroidism is a result of an autoimmune disease (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) that develops when your immune system produces antibodies that attack healthy tissues and degrade them. However, sometimes, it may be caused by iodine deficiency or post-thyroidectomy. It’s also found to be more prevalent in women with PCOS, due to metabolic syndrome.

The Challenges Associated With Hypothyroidism

In its early stages, an underactive thyroid may not bring any visible symptoms. However, if it’s not treated properly, it can lead to a range of other health problems over time, including heart problems, high cholesterol, and others.

Additionally, when it develops, this condition can bring along a number of challenges, such as:

• Slower metabolism and difficulty burning fat, hence, issues with weight loss and management.
• Disrupted release of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) hinders the development of hair at the root and thus, may cause hair loss that’s not replaced by new growth. This challenge may be tangible in women with PCOS.
• By slowing down your body’s overall metabolism, an underactive thyroid can affect how you metabolize nutrients and thus, can lead to an increased risk of nutrient deficiencies. At the same time, developed deficiencies can further exacerbate thyroid issues.
• Additionally, hypothyroidism is linked to a wide range of other symptoms, such as fatigue, brain fog, increased sensitivity to cold, muscle cramps, and others.

Hypothyroidism and Intermittent Fasting: An Overview of the Key Benefits

As you already know, the core issues associated with hypothyroidism include changes and metabolism and difficulties with weight management. When these baseline challenges are not addressed properly, they can further stimulate the development of thyroid issues and lead to other health problems. And that’s where intermittent fasting steps in.

This dietary approach can help you take a holistic approach to your weight and metabolic health, and receive the following potential benefits:

Healthy Weight Loss

Due to hindered metabolism, addressing weight fluctuations with an underactive thyroid can be quite tricky. Furthermore, if you are dealing with hypothyroidism, traditional weight-management solutions like calorie deficit may not be the most effective approach. Studies reveal that people on prolonged caloric deficit tend to have lower levels of circulating thyroid hormone, which can only worsen the condition and make you stop losing weight even on a deficit.

Due to these issues, people with hypothyroidism frequently turn to intermittent fasting for weight loss reasons. Studies that compare the effectiveness of intermittent fasting and continuous calorie restriction found that the significance of body weight change and the stability of the result was generally higher in IF. Additionally, fasting windows have been shown to speed up metabolism, which is often hindered by underactive thyroid. All these reasons make fasting and hypothyroidism a good combo.

Improved Insulin Sensitivity 

When not treated, hypothyroidism can create insulin resistance, making your body’s cells less responsive to insulin and causing high blood sugar levels. Over time, this issue may not only cause you to gain weight but also develop type 2 diabetes.

Multiple studies confirm that intermittent fasting balances your metabolic health by improving insulin sensitivity. That is, when you blend intermittent fasting and thyroid issues, you can ultimately treat your metabolic challenges with IF and thus, improve the overall condition and restore your metabolic function.

Reduced Inflammation

Finally, if we review the combination of intermittent fasting and Hashimoto (autoimmune-caused hypothyroidism), there is one more benefit worth keeping in mind. As an autoimmune disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is associated with chronic inflammation, which can further worsen other symptoms and challenges of this condition.

According to studies, intermittent fasting has a positive effect on inflammation. During prolonged fasting windows, oxidative stress in your cells reduces, leading to overall lower inflammation.

Additionally, there is a growing body of evidence that IF also supports gut health by balancing beneficial gut bacteria. Needless to say, gut health is directly linked to autoimmune conditions and thyroid function, which is one more reason to try IF as a solution for hypothyroidism.

Intermittent Fasting and Thyroid: The Possible Drawbacks and Challenges

Although you may get certain benefits from combining hypothyroidism and intermittent fasting, it’s important to note that there is still a lack of studies on IF use in people with thyroid issues. That is, there might be potential downsides and challenges that can have an adverse effect on you.

So can intermittent fasting mess up your thyroid? While there is no sufficient evidence that IF can cause or worsen thyroid issues, it eventually comes down to your particular approach to fasting. With the wrong approach, such as a poor IF timing that doesn’t consider your individual needs or poor food choices, intermittent fasting can have a few drawbacks such as:

• Additional stress on your body causes cortisol spikes and affects thyroid function.
• Prolonged fasting or extreme restrictions in your calorie intake can eventually slow your metabolism and worsen thyroid issues.
• Poor food choices during your eating windows can create nutrient deficiencies, including a lack of such crucial elements for your thyroid as selenium, B vitamins, zinc, iron, and iodine.

Hypothyroidism and Intermittent Fasting: Best Practices

So is intermittent fasting good for hypothyroidism? Thanks to a variety of benefits linked to IF, this dietary approach can indeed be rather beneficial for people with hypothyroidism. However, only if you find the right approach to it.

Here are a few IF best practices that should help you reap the most benefits without doing more harm to your thyroid function:

• Pick your IF protocol wisely. Generally, it’s recommended to stick to more mild fasting schedules, such as 12:12, 14:10, or 16:8. These protocols should let you get all the IF benefits without being too hard on you. Extreme fasts, such as 24 hours or more, on the contrary, may disrupt your thyroid function and are recommended to avoid.
• Build your schedule around your treatment. If you are treating your condition with thyroid medication, you need to know that it should be taken on an empty stomach, around 30-60 minutes before your first meal. It’s crucial that you consider this when building your IF schedule.
• Plan your meals wisely. When you’re on intermittent fasting, it can be wise to rethink your entire diet for maximum benefits. Try to stay away from sugary and processed foods that spike insulin. Instead, focus on healthy, nutrient-dense foods. Most importantly, diversify your diet to prevent nutrient deficiencies. Here is a list of some foods you can pick to support your thyroid function with essential nutrients:
  
  • B vitamins: Eggs, whole grains, and leafy greens.
  • Selenium: Eggs, Brazil nuts, and seafood.
  • Iodine: Dairy (if tolerated), fish, and seaweed.
  • Zinc: Shellfish, meat, and pumpkin seeds.
  • Iron: Lentils, red meat, and spinach.
• Leverage stress management techniques. As you already know, high cortisol may hinder the work of your thyroid. In order to avoid negative impact, you should try techniques like meditation, walking, yoga, and others and manage your daily stress effectively.
• Take a personalized approach. Lastly, it’s crucial to remember that there is never a one-size-fits-all approach to diet or health. The same is true for intermittent fasting- different approaches and foods may work differently for everyone. Due to this reason, it’s important that you listen to your body and make the needed changes to obtain more benefits. Some signs that your intermittent fasting and thyroid function aren’t going well together include fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, and feeling cold. If you notice these signs, consider refining your approach.

FAQ

Why is intermittent fasting good for hypothyroidism?

The benefits of combining hypothyroid and intermittent fasting are broad. Most importantly, this dietary approach can help you lose and manage weight, thus, overcoming the primary challenge of hypothyroidism. Additionally, IF can help improve insulin sensitivity and reduce inflammation to help you feel better.

Can intermittent fasting mess up your thyroid?

Not really. There is no evidence linking intermittent fasting to the development or worsening of thyroid function. Yet, if you take the wrong approach to fasting, you may face certain challenges, such as additional stress, slowed metabolism due to prolonged fasting windows or extreme restrictions, and nutrient deficiencies.

How to combine fasting and hypothyroidism for maximum benefits?

There is no one-size-fits-all solution. At the end of the day the best approach to intermittent fasting is to build it around your needs and thyroid treatment. If you take a personalized and well-planned approach, IF can help you greatly improve your thyroid function and overcome associated challenges.

Conclusion

Hypothyroidism is a rather common issue facing people of all genders and ages, though found to be prevalent in women with chronic conditions like PCOS. Hindering the work of the thyroid gland and the production of essential hormones, this condition can create a range of challenges, including:

• Slowered metabolism and weight gain
• Hair loss
• Nutrient deficiencies
• Overall poor well-being

Luckily, multiple studies emphasize the positive link between intermittent fasting and thyroid function. With the right approach, IF can help you lose weight, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce inflammation associated with an underactive thyroid. Use this article as your guide for reaping maximum benefits and using intermittent fasting as an effective solution for your body and health.

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