Vitamin d deficiency can actually trigger thyroid disease

Thyroid disease occurs when hormone levels in your body are out of balance; can be overproduction and also underproduction. A study published in the journal Cellular and Molecular Immunology says that there is a link between vitamin D deficiency and thyroid disease. Is it true that thyroid disease is caused by lack of vitamin D in the body? Read on for the review here.

What is the link between vitamin D and thyroid disease?

Research has found a link between vitamin D deficiency and autoimmune thyroid disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and Graves' disease.

Vitamin D deficiency is also more common in patients with thyroid disease than in healthy individuals who do not suffer from autoimmune diseases.

This is also supported by research from Turkey which states that vitamin D deficiency can lead to the development of autoimmune thyroid disease. The study shows that the antibodies of people with autoimmune thyroid disease can drop quite dramatically after taking vitamin D doses of 1,000 IU (25 mcg) per day for a period of a month.

A decrease in the specific antibodies that mark thyroid disease means that the patient's thyroid and body condition has improved. Experts also believe that this progress is partly due to the provision of vitamin D doses of 1,000 IU per day.

In essence, vitamin D is thought to have a role in maintaining thyroid health, but the direct link between a lack of vitamin D in the body and the development or progression of thyroid disease is not certain.

Why shouldn't the body be deficient in vitamin D?

The main role of vitamin D is to regulate bone growth, calcium and phosphorus levels in the body. So it's no surprise that a lot of research and advice has linked vitamin D to keeping your bones strong and healthy.

Vitamin D is also very necessary for mothers who are pregnant. Why? If pregnant women are deficient in vitamin D, this will have an impact on the bone health of the fetus in the womb. Pregnant women should have enough vitamin D at delivery to ensure their babies have adequate levels of vitamin D for the first 4-6 months of life. The reason is, the status of vitamin D in infants completely depends on the mother as a source of vitamin D.

What causes a person to be deficient in vitamin D?

There are several things that can cause the body to be deficient in vitamin D. The first cause is because the body is not exposed to sunlight. Then, use sunblock or a screen with an SPF that is too large can also cause the skin to absorb less sunlight as a source of vitamin D in the body.

Lack of eating foods that contain vitamin D can also make the body deficient in vitamin D. In addition, there are several things that cause vitamin D in your body to be deficient:

Celiac disease or Crohn's disease can cause impaired absorption of vitamin D.
If you have a disease with seizure symptoms, the anti-seizure drugs you take can reduce vitamin D in the body
Liver or kidney disease can cause impaired production of the active form of vitamin D.
People with dark skin absorb less vitamin D.
Obesity can make vitamin D in the body less absorbed optimally

Given that not many foods contain vitamin D, most people take vitamin D supplements. However, most multivitamins don't contain enough vitamin D, because generally one capsule only contains about 400 IU of vitamin D. Whereas the recommended daily intake of vitamin D is around 600 IU for adults and 800 IU for seniors (over 70 years).

It is important to note that too much vitamin D in the body is not necessarily good. Excess vitamin D can make a person experience symptoms of high calcium levels, which is called hypercalcemia. Hypercalcemia shows symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, constipation, nausea and vomiting, and confusion. Heart arrhythmias and kidney problems can also be caused by vitamin D poisoning.