(re-)started keto ... feeling great but blood test shows 9 TSH - continue?

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #23

I just looked up iodine on WebMD. It says that animal foods, eggs and liver in particular, are the best sources of iodine.

Although I’m not sure how trustworthy the article is, because there is a line in it, stating that because the body cannot manufacture iodine, it is therefore an essential micronutrient. Since the human body is not a nuclear reactor, that is equally true of every other element the body needs.

I wonder, since our body can’t manufacture arsenic, either, does that make arsenic an essential micronutrient, too? Also, so far as I know, the body can’t manufacture sucrose, either, which must be why people seem to feel they need to supplement with such large quantities.

(Joey) #24

Love this. Epidemiology in action!

(Betsy) #25

Check here.

(Michael) #27

I am of the opinion that insulin signaling is the issue, and carbs can get the signal the easiest, but large protein intakes can accomplish the same thing. Spreading out a low carb low calorie over a day would not however, achieve sufficient insulin signaling.

(Michael) #29

Will do, tomorrow :grinning:

EDIT: @MattWisti good link, really liked it. I thought the bit on lowering body temperature might be applying to me in a big way

(KM) #31

I got lazy and skimmed, sorry If I missed this. Could it be possible that it’s the reaction to the carbs / bad diet from July '22 onward which caused the rise, and that your keto diet will now bring it down, rather than the keto diet recently started being the culprit raising the level?

(Arie1985uk ) #32

Perhaps, I don’t know, I don’t feel like my body or I as a person want to stop the keto diet now, I keep on losing weight and have more energy during the day … I did read the sources above but not sure what they mean in the bottom line…

Matt - I am trying to read your “criticism” of Chris Kresser, you’re quoting a lot of “Chinese” for me - can you do it with a bottom line post, explain why are you criticizing what Betsy2 posted from Chris Kresser, and why in your opinion what he said is wrong in simple words, please?

(Arie1985uk ) #33

What is the underlying condition then?

(Joey) #34

My interpretation is that, for individuals who suffer from hypothyroidism to begin with, reducing carbs may bring this condition of an under-active thyroid to the fore. But it is not the cause - so eating carbs is not the solution.

Hypothyroidism is a fairly easy/safe condition to address through properly regulated Rx. But it takes time and lots of follow up testing to determine the right dosage for any individual - which can also be a moving target over time.

Changes in diet and changes in weight are very likely to skew things around for a while. So best to let that play out and stabilize … then get thyroid function tested and make determinations as to what might still be appropriate in terms of medication/dosage.

In short: the underlying condition of hypothyroidism is an under-active thyroid gland. Again, not a crisis. And well worth giving it a chance to stabilize when significant metabolic changes are being made.

I imagine that “safe” carbohydrate levels are amounts that don’t mess you up over time. Clearly, according to the FDA there are “safe” doses of pizza, ice cream, Doritos, fried rice, french fries, … If that’s what you’d like to feed you body, I imagine they’re “safe” for a while. The cumulative effect is what we see in our Western populations today. :roll_eyes:

(Arie1985uk ) #35

Yes, I toally agree.

Right now I have, thank god, no side effects, nothing, so would just “ignore” this blood test for now, and would check 2-3 months, and would then hopefully report here how it goes.

(Rossi Luo) #37

My suggestion is that you should do more blood testing to test your blood glucose! I am 66 kg, and I have a device to test blood glucose at home in the morning after fasting, and I found that the blood results fluctuate for unknown reason sometimes! For example, last week I got a blood result of 7.1 mmol/L in the morning (quite high), and two days later, I got a result of 6.1 mmol/L. And I found that my blood result is usually 6.1 mmol/L, the 7.1 was an exception due to unknown fluctuation. So I suggest you to buy a device (I think 40 $ is the price) to monitor your blood glucose more frequently.

(Arie1985uk ) #38

Thanks for the advice, is there a way to test your TSH by yourself without having to go to do the doctor?

(Betsy) #39

Not that I know of, but you can check your temperature.

(Arie1985uk ) #40

I had another blood test yesterday, here are the results:

March 9, 2023: TSH = 9.760 mIU/L

Yesterday, May 30, 2023: TSH = 8.186 mIU/L

So so far keto does help me decrease this value, I’m quite happy with it. :grinning:

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #41

Congratulations, that’s good progress!

(Arie1985uk ) #42

Thanks