Don’t get sucked in by thyroid supplement fads

Milay Lam, M.D., feels sorry for the thyroid.

“The poor thyroid gland is blamed for everything going wrong in somebody’s health,” said the medical director and division chief of Meritus Endocrinology Specialists.

Scroll through social media and often you’ll find a health and fitness account hawking some supplement that claims to affect the thyroid and improve your health.

“There are non-healthcare people who have taken advantage of the population,” Dr. Lam said. “They prey on people really being desperate.”

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck that produces hormones that control certain bodily functions, the most important being metabolism. That process is the way your body breaks down food and converts it to energy. Therefore the thyroid is often linked to fatigue and weight-gain.

And that, Dr. Lam notes, is how people are being drawn in to diet fads that, in reality, could be harmful. Some supplements contain unregulated chemicals, such as animal hormone, that could cause other side effects such as cardiac arrythmia or bone density loss.

“Of course, nobody likes feeling tired. Nobody likes gaining weight,” she said. “But there’s not necessarily a thyroid reason for that.”

In fact, it’s difficult to tell from symptoms alone whether someone has something wrong with their thyroid, she said. Often times, instead of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) or hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), the symptoms are caused by some other medical issue.

Usually, primary care providers use methods, such as a thyroid function test, to check how well the gland is functioning.

Thyroid disease, when it is found, is more common in women than in men.

While doctors are finding more incidents of thyroid cancer in the population, the mortality of those with the illness isn’t going up.

“It’s one of the ‘good cancers’ in that, nobody wants cancer, but if you were to get cancer, this usually just involves removing all or part of the gland through surgery, not chemotherapy or radiation,” Dr. Lam said.

That’s not to say some cancers couldn’t be more aggressive, she warned. “With every disease, you’re going to have a spectrum.”

By the age of 70, around 60 percent of the population can have a nodule on their thyroid, which could become cancerous. Usually, patients will find a lump or swelling on their neck.

Primary care providers and other health care professionals, such as gynecologists, are skilled at checking the gland in the neck and recommending a course of action.

“Most are going to be benign,” Dr. Lam said of the nodules, adding that a visit to the endocrinologist will determine whether to schedule an ultrasound or a biopsy.

To learn more about Meritus Endocrinology Specialists and the services they offer, go to meritushealth.com/Endocrinology.