Sugar and Hypothyroidism = Recipe for Diabetes

There is one disease I live in fear of - diabetes. I know that times have changed since 1989 and that a person today stands a much greater chance of living a full life with diabetes, but I can't ignore my family history of diabetes, or that my first mom died from diabetes. But what does diabetes have to do with hypothyroidism?

Everything.


Studies have shown that when a person has one autoimmune disease, their likelihood of developing a secondary disease is much higher. (Clinical Diabetes Journal) Furthermore, the prevalence of hypothyroidism concurrent with diabetes was found to be at a whopping 36%. What does this say to me? With slow metabolisms and higher cholesterol, this says hypothyroidism is the same as being pre-diabetic. Thyroid Today Patient Resource Sheet


Diabetes, and more importantly diet related Type 2 diabetes, is associated with a high refined carbohydrate intake. Everything that comes from a plant is considered a carbohydrate. And our bodies need carbs. Carbohydrates are the first and easiest nutrient our bodies break down for energy. But when we eat too many simple sugars, our blood glucose levels spike up very quickly. The pancreas then has to work very hard to secrete insulin. Over time, when blood sugar has been high for a long period, the insulin gets secreted, but the cells don't let it in. So the pancreas works harder, because the signal is still there. This is called insulin resistance. And this is what can cause type 2 diabetes. How does that affect our thyroid? As the pancreas secretes more and more insulin and the blood cells resist it, the destruction of the thyroid gland is more easily facilitated. Forget the risk of diabetes. Sugar doesn't just attack the pancreas, it attacks our thyroid glands. Thyroid and Blood Sugar Article

The funny thing is, there is danger in having blood sugar that is too low, as well. So the goal is to avoid simple sugars that cause rapid spikes in our blood sugar, but get the carbs our bodies need through complex carbohydrates. A good rule of thumb is to avoid anything white. Sugar, flour, rice- consider them poison. But brown rice, quinoa, and other non-white rices are good. These complex carbs are good because they are harder to digest, so the glucose gets released slowly, maintaining blood glucose levels. And that's our goal. That's what will help take the burden off of our adrenal glands and thyroid glands and allow our thyroid glands to regenerate and heal.

Which brings me to the Glycemic Index. The glycemic index is a measurement of how a specific food might affect your blood sugar. Typically, you want low glycemic foods. Pretty much anything that comes from a plant is considered a carbohydrate. They carry a glycemic load per serving. Most vegetables are very low. I usually just Google "glycemic index for ..." whatever food to find out. A nice thing about higher index carbohydrates, is there appears to be a way to keep your blood sugar from spiking too high, and that's to eat a low glycemic complex carb with it. I don't know how or why it works that way, but it seems to slow the blood sugar spike.  Check out http://www.glycemicindex.com/ for further information.

The good news, is that if you don't have diabetes, you can eat so that you don't get it. And that's what my journey is all about. Eating so that my blood glucose levels can stay steady. I have now considered sugar poison. And in a very real sense it is. Merriam-Webster defines it as "a substance that through its chemical action usually kills, injures, or impairs an organism." It is also "something destructive or harmful". Our thyroid glands produce a hormone that affects every cell in our bodies. If eating sugars causes my blood sugar to spike, making it easier for my thyroid gland to be destroyed, then it is a poison.