Does a gluten-free diet affect the course of Hashimoto's disease? - the review of the literature

Abstract

Introduction and purpose The fashion for following a gluten-free diet is causing more and more people to opt for it. It is indicated in the treatment of celiac disease. Due to the high prevalence of Hashimoto's disease in the population and the lack of causal treatment for the disease, many researchers have tested the validity of gluten elimination for those burdened with it. This work aimed to review the results achieved so far and assess whether this diet has a real impact on the course of Hashimoto's disease. A brief description of the state of knowledge A PubMed database was searched for studies describing the relationship between gluten consumption and the course of Hashimoto's disease. Some studies indicated a potential beneficial effect of the introduced diet on thyroid function. However, these were mostly survey-based studies of questionable research quality. More reliable studies that took into account antibody and TSH levels showed no significant improvement in thyroid function in response to the diet. Conclusions Based on the studies reviewed, there is no need for a gluten-free diet in patients with chronic autoimmune thyroid disease. It has not been proven that gluten can provoke the body to produce autoantibodies that cause the destruction of thyroid tissue. It is more important to maintain a balanced diet rich in zinc, selenium, iodine, vitamin D3, and iron, as they are essential in the process of hormone production by the thyroid gland.

Keywords

• Hashimoto's thyroiditis
• Autoimmune thyroid disorders
• gluten-free diet
• gluten
• hypothyroidism