Rachel’s Ruminations—Book Review: The Thyroid Reset Diet by Alan Christianson, NMD
Local Authors Reveals Intriguing New Insight on Thyroid Disease
Did you know?
· 1 in 4 women ultimately develop thyroid disease
· Thyroid disease becomes more common with age
· A person is more likely to develop thyroid disease if a parent or sibling has it
· The more affluent a society is, the more likely its members get thyroid disease
· Women get thyroid disease 5-8 times as often as men
· Thyroid disease was discovered in 1907 by Dr. Hashimoto
· 30-40% of American adults are consuming unsafe levels of iodine
· A recent analysis of OTC vitamins showed that they often have 2-3 times more iodine than the label stated
· Another study analyzed iodine content of 120 vitamins, not a single supplement had the amount of iodine stated on the label; many had 2-4 times more
· Most thyroid conditions are caused by autoimmune disease
· For women in their late 30s, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis has gone up 25-fold since the early 20th century
· By 2014 the number of nations considered severely iodine deficient plummeted to zero
· Fewer than 7% of people with thyroid disease are “very satisfied” with their treatment
I don’t know how I missed the release of this book in 2021--likely due to Covid chaos…
Dr. Christianson grew up on the iron range, devoted his entire 3-decade clinical career to thyroid disorders, and has retired from clinical practice in Arizona and now resides in the Hackensack area. This is his 3rd book, and his Adrenal Reset Diet book does not disappoint. I have not yet read his Metabolism Reset Diet book but plan to do so in the future—stay tuned.
Dr. C states that in past decades, humans in many parts of the world were iodine deficient; this scarcity has now been over-corrected, and many people are now consuming excess amounts of iodine which adversely impacts thyroid function. Iodine has a narrower range of safety than any other micro-nutrient and it is easy to consume too much iodine. An FDA study compared food from 1991 and 2011 in which researchers discovered that iodine content increased in 23 out of 25 foods with some of these foods containing 3 times as much iodine compared to 2 decades prior.
In the largest population review involving 50 studies, researchers concluded that global iodine fortification has increased the risk of thyroid disease. Additionally, Mayo Clinic tracked the rate of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis in patients from 1935 to 1967; within 2 years, the doctors saw an increase in autoimmune thyroid disease caused by iodine fortification. They documented a 4800% increase in Hashimoto’s. The earliest rates were 2.1 per 100,000 persons; by the end of the study, it was up to 54.1 for women under 39 and 94.1 for those over 40.
The book is devoted to a new approach to this unsafe iodine intake. Dr. C claims that numerous clinical trials have shown that careful iodine reduction can successfully reverse thyroid disease; approximately 80% of people diagnosed with thyroid disease who follow a low iodine diet had normal thyroid function within as little as 3 months! He does clearly state that this approach will not help everyone with thyroid disease but nearly every person who was able to lower their iodine intake saw dramatic improvements in thyroid function. Iodine is essential for life but too much, too little, or even fluctuating amounts can cause thyroid disease. Most people can safely ingest 50-200 mcg of iodine daily from all sources.
The goal of the Thyroid Reset Diet is to lower iodine levels so the excess iodine can be cleared which allows your thyroid to work more efficiently and restores your body’s responsiveness to thyroid hormones. If you are not on thyroid medication, the diet typically takes 3-6 months to restore thyroid function. If you are on thyroid medication, it may take 6-15 months because your thyroid medication will need to be gradually lowered. In one study, people with Hashimoto’s were assigned either a low iodine or regular diet; of those who followed the low iodine diet, 78.3% were cured within 3 months.
Feeling better is the first sign that your thyroid function is improving. The most common symptoms of thyroid disease are fatigue, stubborn weight, hair loss, and brain fog.
Dr. C’s Thyroid Reset Diet differs from the typical low iodine diet because it is designed for long-term adherence whereas the standard low iodine diet is designed for short-term usage (1-3 weeks). The Thyroid Reset Diet is nutritionally complete and emphasizes consumption of other micro-nutrients crucial for thyroid function (selenium, zinc, iron) along with a balanced distribution of macro-nutrients (protein, carb, fat). He organizes the food into a simple system of green (<10 mcg iodine per serving), yellow (<50 mcg), and red (>50 mcg) light foods.
He recommends starting with the Reset phase where you limit your iodine to <100 mcg iodine daily. Plan to stay in the reset phase for a minimum of 3 months. His book offers a 28-day meal plan, shopping lists, and an abundance of healthy & easy recipes. Once your thyroid function improves, you can transition to the Maintenance phase where you add to servings of “yellow light” food daily and aim for 50-200 mcg iodine daily.
Roughly 80% of people show a clear shift in how much hormone their thyroid gland is making within the first 28 days. They are not always back to normal by then but are showing progress. The vast majority show normal thyroid function within the first 3 months. Of those who do not, most of them see normal thyroid function within the first 6 months.
Dr. C’s book also provides a comprehensive list of thyroid symptoms, a helpful symptom survey, when and how to test your thyroid function, the only accurate iodine test, which type of salt is safe.
I hope you find this iodine insight as exciting as I do. Since naturopathic medical school and residency training, my understanding was that thyroid disease was “incurable”. To entertain the possibility that this prognosis is false for up to 78.3% provides a lot of hope for those struggling with thyroid disease!
Rachel Oppitz, ND
