Thyroid adenoma dietary taboos

First, patients with abnormal iodine metabolism, hyperthyroidism, or diagnosed high-functioning adenoma should follow the doctor's advice to control their iodine intake.； Second, avoid eating large amounts of raw cruciferous vegetables for a long time. ； The third is to minimize the long-term intake of high-oil, high-sugar, highly irritating, pro-inflammatory foods.

I just received a 32-year-old female patient a while ago. The physical examination revealed a 2cm benign thyroid adenoma. All thyroid function parameters were within the normal range. She went back and watched a short video for two days and quit iodized salt, seafood, and even seaweed and egg drop soup. Half a year later, the nodules had not shrunk, but she had lost a lot of hair. She was breathless after climbing two floors. The urine iodine test had dropped to the deficiency range. It was completely caused by unnecessary taboos. In fact, there have always been different clinical views on the requirements for iodine intake. In the early years, the old concept was that as long as you have thyroid nodules, you need to have low iodine. Now the latest endocrine guidelines have made it clear that it should be treated on a case-by-case basis: if your thyroid function is normal and the urine iodine test is within a reasonable range, it is perfectly fine to eat iodized salt normally and occasionally eat shrimps and fresh kelp. Deliberate abstinence from iodine will lead to insufficient thyroid hormone synthesis, which in turn stimulates the growth of adenomas. ； Only when combined with hyperthyroidism, or if the adenoma is a high-functioning adenoma that can secrete thyroid hormones independently, do you need to strictly follow the doctor's instructions to use iodized salt and avoid high-iodine foods such as seafood and seaweed. It really doesn't need to be the same for everyone.

Let’s talk about the cruciferous vegetables that have been blacklisted by many people. Are broccoli, cabbage, and purple cabbage something that many people tell you not to touch? Last year, I met a patient who was a fitness coach. He ate a pound of raw broccoli salad every day in order to reduce body fat. After three months of review, he found that the 1cm adenoma had increased by 3mm. Later, he changed the raw broccoli to blanched and stir-fried. He only ate it two or three times a week. After a review, it stabilized. In fact, the thiocyanate in these vegetables will indeed affect the iodine uptake of the thyroid gland, but only if you eat it raw for a long time, in large amounts, and in a normal family, if you fry one plate per meal and eat it cooked, more than 90% of the thiocyanate can be precipitated out, which cannot reach the dose that affects the thyroid gland. You cannot avoid eating vegetables in order to prevent adenoma, as the gain outweighs the gain.

There are also foods that are high in oil, sugar, and irritation. This does not mean that if you occasionally eat spicy hot pot or drink a cup of iced milk tea, your adenoma will immediately grow larger. It is just that such foods will aggravate the body's chronic inflammatory response, and inflammatory stimulation is one of the clear causes of abnormal thyroid tissue hyperplasia. There was a young man who worked in Internet operations. After he was diagnosed with a 1cm adenoma, he still stayed up late every day, drank skewers and drank cold beer, and took late-night snacks as a daily meal. The height increased to 3cm in a year, and the pressure in his throat always felt like a foreign body. Later, he gave up late-night snacks and avoided fried and sweet things. After two years of follow-up, the growth has not increased again.

As for the statements on the Internet that you cannot eat soy products, drink milk, or touch coffee, there is currently no evidence-based medical evidence to support it. As long as you don’t panic after drinking coffee and don’t feel bloated after eating soy products, you can eat normally. I have also seen patients who did not even dare to touch tofu after suffering from adenoma. During the six-month review, they found out that they were deficient in calcium and had mild osteoporosis. There was really no need for self-restriction.

To put it bluntly, more than 90% of thyroid adenomas are benign. You really don’t have to go to jail when it comes to diet. The key is to check your own thyroid function and urinary iodine level first. Don’t follow the trend of quitting iodine, and don’t indulge in junk food for a long time. Relaxing your mood is more effective than any taboos. Regular review every six months to a year is enough.