Is Zinc Good for Hyperthyroidism? (Expert Answer)

Short Answer: Zinc is good for hyperthyroidism. Because it has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and thyroid hormone regulating properties.

Hyperthyroidism is a condition that affects your thyroid gland, a small butterfly-shaped organ at the base of your neck.

In hyperthyroidism, your thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone, which regulates your metabolism, heart rate, body temperature, and other functions.

This can lead to various health problems, such as weight loss, anxiety, insomnia, tremors, palpitations, and eye issues.

One of the key factors in managing hyperthyroidism is diet.

What you consume can affect your thyroid hormone levels, which can impact your hyperthyroidism symptoms and overall health.

To effectively manage hyperthyroidism, you should consume zinc-rich foods like oysters, beef, and cashews, and avoid iodine-rich foods like seaweed, dairy products, and iodized salt.

Now, zinc is a mineral that is essential for many biological processes, including immune function, wound healing, and thyroid hormone metabolism.

People usually get zinc from animal sources, such as meat and shellfish, or from plant sources, such as nuts and legumes.

Zinc is good for hyperthyroidism because it contains anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can help reduce thyroid inflammation and oxidative stress.

Zinc also helps convert the inactive thyroid hormone T4 into the active form T3, which can improve thyroid function and balance hormone levels.

One oyster can give you 74.1 milligrams of zinc, which is more than 600% of your daily needs.

One ounce (28 grams) of beef can provide 5.3 milligrams of zinc, which is about 40% of your daily needs.

One ounce (28 grams) of cashews can offer 1.6 milligrams of zinc, which is about 12% of your daily needs.

Zinc can positively affect hyperthyroidism by reducing inflammation, enhancing immunity, and improving thyroid hormone metabolism.

Furthermore, zinc is a trace element and trace elements are good for hyperthyroidism.

Because, they are involved in many enzymatic reactions that regulate thyroid function and hormone synthesis.

You can eat up to 40 milligrams of zinc per day safely.

More than that can cause side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, metallic taste, and reduced copper absorption.

Also, you shouldn’t take zinc supplements if you have kidney disease, liver disease, or hemochromatosis, to prevent toxicity and complications.

Because, these conditions can impair your body’s ability to excrete excess zinc.

You can buy zinc supplements online as well as offline.

To buy it online, there are many brands and marketplace to choose from.

But as a nutritionist I recommend Thorne Zinc Picolinate from Amazon.

Because, it has high bioavailability, purity, and potency.

Finally, remember, maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including a balanced diet, regular exercise, stress management and essential medical care is key to managing hyperthyroidism effectively.

I always recommend my hyperthyroidism patients to follow a hyperthyroidism-friendly diet to improve their overall well-being, and enjoy a longer and healthier life.

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About the Author

Abdur Rahman Choudhury

Abdur Rahman Choudhury is a nutritionist in West Bengal, India, with a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Biochemistry.

He has done his diploma in nutrition from Fabulous Body Inc (US), and completed various certification courses from several universities. He also has considerable research experience in PCOS.

Abdur currently lives in India and keeps fit by weight training and eating mainly home-cooked meals.

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