Caffeine And Thyroid Function

[member 2106]

As an experiment, I have stopped drinking coffee for a few days (4 days so far), and have noticed that my usually cold extremities are now consistently warm, which presumably means my thyroid function is improving.

Can anyone help me figure out why this might be happening? My guess is that I'm just more sensitive than most to caffeine, and was only getting the stress response from coffee, even when drinking it with meals. Now that there's no stress response, my thyroid is able to function more comfortably. Does that seem plausible?

In any case, I'll give it another week or so before reaching any conclusions.

EDIT: I should also mention that my bowel function seems to be improving, which is (speculatively) a result of the improvement to thyroid function.

 

[Cirion]

I have noticed similar things. I keep trying to quit caffeine but can never do it lol but more power to you. Stimulants in general, I find to be very unwise in a hypothyroid condition. Unfortunately, someone who is hypo often feels like they "Need" stimulants to get energy to get through the day. They are a crutch that just make you dependent upon them. One day I'll quit caffeine, but I dunno when. LOL. Unfortunately, modern society basically forces most of us to rely on stims to survive each day because we are forced to wake up early whether or not we want to.

Other than that, there are genes that regulate caffeine metabolism and only a small portion of the population can handle more than a cup or two without serious side effects. A lot of this forum has a love affair with caffeine and I am sure at least the people with good genes and maybe also those in good health can handle more caffeine, but I'm not convinced on the benefits for someone like me who is still not well.

 

[member 2106]

I have noticed similar things. I keep trying to quit caffeine but can never do it lol but more power to you. Stimulants in general, I find to be very unwise in a hypothyroid condition. Unfortunately, someone who is hypo often feels like they "Need" stimulants to get energy to get through the day. They are a crutch that just make you dependent upon them. One day I'll quit caffeine, but I dunno when. LOL. Unfortunately, modern society basically forces most of us to rely on stims to survive each day because we are forced to wake up early whether or not we want to.

Yeah, it's not been easy to quit, but so far it's been a very positive experiment. You should try it for a few days just to see what happens. I agree with your suggestions about stimulants being potentially very risky in a hypothyroid condition. It looks like that might have been the case with me.

 

[Cirion]

Every time I quit I overall see positive benefits, but then all it takes for me is one bad night of sleep to where I can't wake up for work, and then I inevitably hit up the coffee pot... And then the negative spiral begins LOL

 

[TeaRex14]

It increases nutrient requirements, especially in the context of a diet high in refined sugars. There's also an antagonistic quality in coffee, not sure about pure caffeine, that inhibits thiamine adsorption, which is crucial for energy metabolism.

 

[Cirion]

It increases nutrient requirements, especially in the context of a diet high in refined sugars. There's also an antagonistic quality in coffee, not sure about pure caffeine, that inhibits thiamine adsorption, which is crucial for energy metabolism.

Yeah that's a good point. I think the problem is - In a hypothyroid condition, one is already nutrient deprived (I think nutrient deficiencies is one of the main causes of hypo in the first place), so demanding more nutrient intake in the form of both sugar and caffeine can be an extremely double edged sword. Could this also be why hypothyroid people tend to gravitate towards starch and not sugar?

 

[TeaRex14]

Yeah that's a good point. I think the problem is - In a hypothyroid condition, one is already nutrient deprived (I think nutrient deficiencies is one of the main causes of hypo in the first place), so demanding more nutrient intake in the form of both sugar and caffeine can be an extremely double edged sword. Could this also be why hypothyroid people tend to gravitate towards starch and not sugar?

That's exactly the issue, at least in my opinion. Anything that increases metabolism also increases nutrient demand. When taking this into account, it becomes readily apparent why some people don't improve on a Peat inspired metabolic recovery plan, some may worsen even. Oh you're eating sugar, that increases nutrient requirements. Oh you're depleting PUFA, that increases nutrient requirements. Oh you're using red light and sunlight therapy, that increases nutrient requirements. Oh you're drinking coffee, that increases nutrient requirements. Oh you're taking thyroid, pregnenolone, progesterone, etc., that increases nutrient requirements. Most people begin to run into problems when they start eating lots of refined sugar, caffeine, thyroid, etc. because they're putting high octane fuel in a car with no motor. This is why fruits, raw honey, maple syrup, juice, milk, cheese, leafy greens, mushrooms, liver, oysters, etc. are all much much better than sugarcane. They provide massive amounts of nutrients required to fuel metabolism. Once someone begins to understand this, then adding sugarcane to the diet can only benefit. And as for starch, I think people that are hypothyroid are not only benefiting from the nutrients in things like potatoes, that are, once again, devoid in sugarcane. But starch also has a higher calorie to water ratio, which is good for hypo people. One thing about sugar is it usually comes with a generous amount of water, like fresh fruits. The excess water may be problematic for hypo people. But it's not about being anti sugarcane, it's about using sugarcane responsibly.

 

[Cirion]

I never really used much raw sugar myself. I find that even "good" sugars like fruit and maple syrup can be over-done, at least for me... But I do still have some. I haven't eliminated them. Plain sugar is a complete disaster to use if you're hypo IMO. Even OJ seems to cause some issues for me, because it's still a partially processed orange essentially.

 

[TeaRex14]

I never really used much raw sugar myself. I find that even "good" sugars like fruit and maple syrup can be over-done, at least for me... But I do still have some. I haven't eliminated them. Plain sugar is a complete disaster to use if you're hypo IMO. Even OJ seems to cause some issues for me, because it's still a partially processed orange essentially.

Yeah I don't think people should eating lots of refined sugar when hypo. I've even experimented on myself before, removing fruits and honey and only consuming things like soda for sugar, I felt bad. I think the biggest nutrient demand for sugar is b vitamins, which can be rapidly depleted by refined sugarcane. You may be sensitive to the extra fluid content of juices. Matt Stone has talked a lot about this before.

 

[lampofred]

I have noticed similar things. I keep trying to quit caffeine but can never do it lol but more power to you. Stimulants in general, I find to be very unwise in a hypothyroid condition. Unfortunately, someone who is hypo often feels like they "Need" stimulants to get energy to get through the day. They are a crutch that just make you dependent upon them. One day I'll quit caffeine, but I dunno when. LOL. Unfortunately, modern society basically forces most of us to rely on stims to survive each day because we are forced to wake up early whether or not we want to.

Other than that, there are genes that regulate caffeine metabolism and only a small portion of the population can handle more than a cup or two without serious side effects. A lot of this forum has a love affair with caffeine and I am sure at least the people with good genes and maybe also those in good health can handle more caffeine, but I'm not convinced on the benefits for someone like me who is still not well.

Don't know about genes, but I think high aromatase is related to caffeine intolerance. The lower your aromatase/estrogen load, the smoother the effects from coffee will be and the more you will be able to handle. Aromatase is stimulated most by too much glutamate, too little GABA.

I can try explaining why I think that, but only if you are really interested in seeing how I got there, because it will have to be a pretty long post...

 

[maillol]

Don't know about genes, but I think high aromatase is related to caffeine intolerance. The lower your aromatase/estrogen load, the smoother the effects from coffee will be and the more you will be able to handle. Aromatase is stimulated most by too much glutamate, too little GABA.

I can try explaining why I think that, but only if you are really interested in seeing how I got there, because it will have to be a pretty long post...

I'm interested.