Thyroid Issues and Gluten: Why Gluten Accelerates Thyroid Conditions
If you had asked most people what gluten was 10 years ago, there is a good chance you wouldn’t have even known what it was; I didn’t. But, in recent years, gluten has gone from being an unknown to a pesky culprit that a great deal of people are trying to eliminate from their lives. So what exactly is gluten and why is it so often associated with thyroid conditions?
What is Gluten?
Gluten is a form of protein that is found in wheat and other grains, such as, grains and barley. Gluten is responsible for the elasticity of dough, as well as, its ability to rise and delectable chewy texture. That being said, many studies have cited the negative effects that gluten has on the body. Many people are sensitive to gluten. One of the most popular reasons that people switch to a gluten free diet is related to thyroid disease.
The Relationship Between Gluten and the Thyroid …show more content…
The foreign substance can lead to an immune response, which is often amplified for people with celiac disease. It’s not just people with celiac disease that experience negative effects from gluten. When consumed, the human body reacts to gluten like an enzyme needed to form chemical bonds within the human body. These enzymes are very much present throughout many organs, however, the thyroid possesses a higher concentration of this particular enzyme. When our body’s immune system begins to attack gliadin, it also causes an attack on the thyroid. As the immune response continues, the thyroid begins to suffer damage that can last for as long as 6 months after gluten