The Vital Connection Between Thyroid Function And Vitamin A
There are certain vitamins we hear about all the time. Everyone needs vitamin C! Women need extra calcium! But how many times do you hear people talking about vitamin A?
As you’re going to learn today, it should be far more, especially when talking about the thyroid.
Vitamin A and Hypothyroidism
You may not know this, but thyroid hormone (T3) and vitamin A have an important relationship.
Yet, most hypothyroidism sufferers are deficient in Vitamin A.
And this is a major problem for your thyroid health.
Thyroid hormone (T3) and Vitamin A work together synergistically to support your thyroid health.
Both are required to convert your cholesterol into all of your thyroid-protective youth hormones.
Simply put, being deficient in Vitamin A prevents you from being able to use thyroid hormone.
So, it won’t matter how much thyroid medication you use, without adequate Vitamin A your thyroid medication won’t help much.
And the more thyroid medication you use, the greater your need for Vitamin A.
Want to see just how necessary and power Vitamin A is for your thyroid health?
Take a look at this 2012 study published by the Journal of the American College of Nutrition. It shows just how effective Vitamin A is for treating subclinical hypothyroidism.
This study looked at the response of thyroid function to Vitamin A supplementation in pre-menopausal women.
The results after the end of the 4 month trial were quite significant, including…
30% to 33% reduction in TSH.
38% to 61% increase in T3 thyroid hormone.
16% to 23% decrease in T4 thyroid hormone.
These results were without the use of any sort of thyroid medication, which is quite amazing.Yet, understanding these results is important as well.
The rise in T3 thyroid hormone and fall in T4 thyroid hormone is oftentimes an indicator that the improvement in thyroid function resulted from an improved conversion of T4 to T3 in the liver. – Forefront Health
Safely Boost Your Vitamin A
So you know you need it, now how do you get it? There are some safe and effective ways to boost your vitamin A, but just like with all other supplements it’s important to be safe and know for sure what you’re taking. Using a high quality and trusted brand for supplements is a great way to help yourself stay safe from potential contamination.
The connection between vitamin A and hypothyroidism should come as no surprise. Vitamin A is needed for healthy hormone production; when you have a lack of hormonal balance (by having estrogen dominance, for example), it will actually block thyroid production! According to Dr. Ray Peat, “Estrogen blocks the release of hormone from the thyroid gland, and progesterone facilitates the release. Estrogen excess or progesterone deficiency tends to cause enlargement of the thyroid gland, in association with a hypothyroid state.”…
…SOURCES OF REAL VITAMIN A (RETINOL- ANIMAL SOURCE)
It’s important to note the difference between plant (beta-carotene) and animal sources (retinol) of vitamin A . Plants contain beta-carotene that is actually the precursor to Vitamin A, meaning it requires conversion by the body (and those who are vitamin A deficient are usually poor converters). The easiest way to ensure that you are getting sufficient amounts of Vitamin A is to include foods like butter, eggs, whole milk, cream, and liver supplements in your daily diet! If you hate the taste of liver, I highly recommend a real food supplement like this!
P.S. Vitamin A is a fat soluble vitamin, so excess vitamin A is stored in the body and not excreted. This means taking high dosages can put you at risk of vitamin A toxicity. That’s why I only recommend food sources of vitamin A, unless you’re working with a healthcare practitioner. – Butter Nutrition
Have you added vitamin A into your supplement regimen?