9 Habits that Affect the Thyroid

The thyroid gland may be small, yet despite its size, it controls lots of processes (including metabolism) in the body. When the thyroid doesn't work properly it may produce more or fewer hormones than the body needs. In which case, you'll likely notice unpleasant changes including sudden weight fluctuation, mood swings, skin issues, and breast cancer. Below are nine bad habits that can affect your thyroid.

 

1. You have too much stress in your life

Stress affects all of our bodily systems including the endocrine system in our body. If you are in a constant state of tension, your thyroid stops working properly, producing too much or too little hormones. If you have already experienced problems with your thyroid, stress may cause panic attacks or long-term memory loss. A lack of sleep and stressful work may be a cause. In fact, a hectic lifestyle may make you feel nervous constantly. So, to reduce the risks, it is recommended that you sleep enough, walk a lot and do exercises. If you're feeling rather stressed, be sure to speak to a psychologist. 

2. You don't consume enough fats

When following a diet it is important to know which foods you should avoid. But, while a low-fat diet will help you lose weight, many people who opt for this method do not just stop consuming bad fats, but also the good ones - which is extremely important for our brain and thyroid. Good fats are found in olive and linseed oil, eggs, dairy products, meat, fish and wheat germ. It's better to not stop eating these foods. In doing so, your diet will help you achieve positive results giving you a healthy body. 

3. You eat too many soy-based products

Soybean contains a lot of useful micro-elements, vitamins and can replace animal products. However, it's recommended that you do not eat too much food that contains soy as it will have a bad effect on your thyroid, making it work slower. When we eat a lot of soy-based products, the thyroid absorbs less iodine which is important to keep the thyroid working properly. So, how can this problem be avoided? The best way would be to reduce the amount of soy foods you eat, adding more products that contain iodine, including vegetables, berries, fruits, and seafood. Cranberry, shrimp, mussels, squid and sea fish are all beneficial for your thyroid. 
4. You eat too many cruciferous vegetables
Scientists discovered that raw cruciferous vegetables affect the work of the thyroid. For this reason, it is not recommended that you eat a lot of cabbage, turnips, and radishes, particularly if you suffer from an iodine deficiency. This is because these products contain glucosinolates which contain nitrogen and sulfur - which is why the vegetables are slightly bitter. When these elements get inside the body they affect the thyroid, causing a goiter. For this reason, it's better to eat vegetables like beets, tomatoes, and celery. 

5. Smoking

Smoking not only affects our lungs - studies show that it is also bad for the thyroid. Tobacco slowly makes the thyroid produce more and more hormones, causing hyperthyroidism. What's more, cigarettes contain toxins, taking our body six days to remove. At this point, the amount of iodine in the thyroid decreases. Here, the level of thyroid hormones in your blood rises, worsening the thyroid. 
6. You consume too many products that contain caffeine
While it is fine to start your day with a cup of coffee, it isn't a good idea to drink coffee too often as the caffeine increases the amount of cortisol in the body. Consequently, the stress hormone affects the thyroid, making our metabolism worse. Nevertheless, scientists still argue about the amount of coffee that won't have an impact on your health - as it varies between 2 to 6 cups a day. 5fl oz of grain coffee contains 110-160mg of caffeine (depending on the type of coffee). Bear in mind that products like chocolate, coca cola, and energy drinks contain caffeine too.

7. You eat high glycemic index foods

The glycemic index is a ranking of carbohydrate foods based on their immediate effect on blood sugar levels. If you have a high glycemic index, it means that the process of breakdown is too quick. It is therefore important to pay attention to what you eat and keep your thyroid healthy. Products that contain high glycemic index include sweets, pastries, pasta, and white rice. These foods contain a huge amount of carbohydrates and they affect the process of iodine absorption. The iodine deficiency leads to thyroid issues. Of course, it is practically impossible to stop eating high glycemic index products, however, you can reduce the amount of them in your diet. 

8. You consume butter and margarine

Butter is listed as a high-cholesterol food which affects the lipid balance and thus the thyroid. Despite this fact, it is not recommended that you stop eating animal fats. Butter is still a good source of selenium and vitamin D. It is better to control the amount of butter you eat. Margarine, on the other hand, is best avoided as it is made from trans fats which damage our endocrine and cardiovascular system, leading to obesity. 

9. Alcohol abuse

Alcohol can increase or decrease the pancreatic secretions. Both may affect the body. Women start to experience menstrual problems, while men start suffering from low libido. Thyroid issues also have a negative impact on the vegetative nervous system, which may lead to tremors, tachycardia, bowel disorders, mood swings, and other unpleasant symptoms. If your thyroid doesn't work properly and produces excess hormones, the process of dehydrogenase synthesis slows down. Consequently, the impact of alcohol on the body increases.

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Soy, broccoli may cut breast cancer treatment’s side effects

Consuming soy foods such as soy milk and tofu and cruciferous vegetables such as cabbages, kale and broccoli may help reduce common side effects of treatment in breast cancer survivors, researchers say.

Treatments designed to prevent breast cancer recurrence often inhibit the body’s production or use of oestrogen — the hormone that can fuel breast cancer growth.

As a result, such patients often experience hot flushes and night sweats, among other side effects that are commonly post menopause.

The findings,  showed that intake of cruciferous vegetables and soy foods were associated with fewer reports of menopausal symptoms.Higher soy intake was also associated with less reported fatigue.

Phytochemicals, or bioactive food components, such as isoflavones in soy foods and glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables may be the source of the benefit, the researchers said.

While isoflavones bind to oestrogen receptors and exert weak oestrogenic effects, glucosinolates in cruciferous vegetables influence levels of metabolising enzymes that can modulate inflammation and levels of oestrogen, possibly attenuating treatment-related symptoms.

The study addresses an important gap in research on the possible role of lifestyle factors, such as dietary habits, in relation to side effects of treatments, said the lead author.

“These symptoms can adversely impact survivors’ quality of life and can lead them to stopping ongoing treatments,” the author said.

“Understanding the role of life style factors is important because diet can serve as a modifiable target for possibly reducing symptoms among breast cancer survivors,” she added.

Women who consumed more soy foods also showed suggestive associations with lower reporting of other symptoms, including joint problems, hair thinning/loss and memory, but these associations did not reach statistical significance.

Thus, until more study is conducted, breast cancer patients should not suddenly start eating soy, if they have not consumed it before, the researchers warned.



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Storehouse of nutrients, leafy Kale a must in our daily diet

Kale, a green leafy vegetable of the cabbage family, has shot to fame in the recent past. It originated in Asia and was brought to Europe around 600 BC. Also, known as a hidden superfood, Kale comes in various colours such as yellow, deep green, deep steely blue, purplish red and almost black. Its popularity stem from several health benefits which have been reported through ongoing research.

Kale belongs to the Brassica family (which has been found to contain powerful disease fighting phytochemicals). The unique phytochemicals in Kale include glucosinolates, flavonols and carotenoids such as lutein and zeaxanthin.

Numerous epidemiological studies report that Brassica vegetables in general, and kale in particular, protect humans against cancer — particularly the hormone-related varieties such as breast and prostate cancers— age-related macular degeneration (AMD), cataracts, blurred vision, cardiovascular disease, as well as immune system disorders. In fact, studies have reported that eating lutein-rich foods like kale could lower the risk for new cataracts by almost 50 per cent.

A recent study published in 2008 in Nutrition Research journal stated that inclusion of steam-cooked collard greens, kale, mustard greens, broccoli, green bell pepper, and cabbage in our daily diet significantly reduced the risk of heart disease.

Kale is high on nutrition whether it is raw or cooked. It is also an excellent source of vitamin C and beta-carotene (plant form of vitamin A). Vitamin C and beta-carotene are powerful antioxidants, which help to build a strong immune system, fight chronic diseases and leads to slow ageing.

In fact, its high vitamin C content enhances the ability to absorb these minerals. Other nutrients in kale include significant amounts of calcium, iron and folate. Kale is also a good source of potassium, manganese, Vitamin E and Vitamin K.

All in one

A leafy vegetable that comes in all colours, kale originated in Asia and was brought to Europe around 600 BC. It shot to fame because of its numerous health benefits

Kale

* Lowers the risk of cancers, especially hormone-related varieties such as breast cancer and prostate cancer

* Leads to slow ageing

* Is good for weight watchers

* Builds a strong immunity

* Fights chronic diseases

* Reduces risk of heart disease

* Useful for blood pressure regulation

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Now, super-charged broccoli with enhanced anti-cancer benefits

Researchers have found a way to produce broccoli that has more anti-cancer benefits and won’t spoil quickly in refrigerator.

Jack Juvik, a University of Illinois crop sciences researcher, explained that the combined application of two compounds, both are natural products extracted from plants, increased the presence of cancer-fighting agents in broccoli while prolonging the post-harvest storage period.

The researchers used methyl jasmonate (MeJA), a non-toxic plant-signal compound (produced naturally in plants) to increase the broccoli’s anti-cancer potential, which they sprayed on the broccoli about four days before harvest. When applied, MeJA initiates a process of gene activity affiliated with the biosynthesis of glucosinolates (GS), which are compounds found in the tissue of broccoli and other brassica vegetables (such as cauliflower, cabbage, and kale).

However, during this process, MeJA also signals a network of genes that lead to plant decay by inducing the release of ethylene, Juvik explained.

“While we can use MeJA to turn on phytochemicals like the glucosinolates and dramatically increase the abundance of those helpful anti-cancer compounds, MeJA also reduces the shelf life after harvest,” he said.

So the researchers tried using the recently developed compound 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP), which has been shown to interfere with receptor proteins in the plant that are receptor-sensitive to ethylene. They applied the compound after harvesting the same broccoli that had already been treated with MeJA before harvest.

Juvik added that ethylene will move and bind to ethylene receptors and that binding process initiates decay, which basically stops or dramatically slows down the decay associated with ethylene. 

ps- this is only for information, always consult you physician before having any particular food/ medication/exercise/other remedies.

ps- those interested in recipes are free to view my blog-

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