Every cell in your body depends on the proper functioning of your thyroid gland. In particular, your cells use hormones produced by your thyroid gland to regulate a number of metabolic processes, including the production of energy from the food you eat.
Your thyroid hormones also help regulate your body temperature and play a part in the proper functioning of your brain, heart, muscles, and other organs. When properly functioning, your pituitary gland releases thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), causing thyroid thyroid hormone thyroxine (T4), which then turns into triiodothyronine (T3), in its predecessor, which your body must flourish.
However, this is a very thin system that is easily disturbed by external influences, including chemicals that are ubiquitous in our environment. This is one factor factor that is increasingly associated with disorders of the thyroid gland, disorders that can seriously affect your health.
What types of chemicals can disrupt thyroid function?
There are concerns about the many chemicals that are currently abundant in the environment.
Nine of the top criminals include:
1. Phthalates
Phthalates are widely used chemicals that are often used for plastic flexibility. They are commonly found in shower curtains, medical tubes and plastic toys, as well as in numerous personal care products such as fragrances, nail polish and lotions. Because chemicals are so widely used, they are also present in drinking water.
It is known that toxins for reproductive and developmental effects in animal studies, phthalates can also affect the regulation of the thyroid gland, reducing the activity of the thyroid hormone receptors - at levels found in drinking water. [1] Currently, drinking water treatment does not effectively remove chemicals that secrete the thyroid gland, such as phthalates, from your drinking water.
2. Flame retardants
Polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) is a flame retardant chemical commonly used in furniture foam, carpets, upholstery, clothes, toys, draperies, electronics, and much more. It is estimated that up to 97 percent of Americans have PBDEs in their blood.
Chemicals accumulate easily in your fat cells, and elevated levels have been associated with decreased levels of TSH and an increased risk of subclinical hyperthyroidism in pregnant women. [2]
3. Bisphenol A (BPA)
BPA is another plastic chemical commonly used in polycarbonate water bottles, baby bottles, plastic toys, medical tubes, food packaging, dental sealants and much more. Widely known as an endocrine disrupter, which can cause developmental problems, early puberty, genital deformities, etc., BPA has also been associated with a disorder of the thyroid gland.
In one study on frog tadpoles, low levels of exposure to BPA, similar to those found in infants, interfered with the T3 hormone and suppressed genes controlled by T3, which led to slower development and other changes. [3] Previous animal studies have also associated BPA with impaired thyroid receptors and thyroid function.
4. Dioxin
Dioxin is a group of chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzodioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), which are formed as by-products of industrial processes, such as bleaching of bleach paper, production of pesticides and melting. Dioxin was also part of the toxic agent Orange used during the Vietnam War.
PCBs, another type of dioxin, were widely used until 1977, when they were caused by environmental problems. However, they and other dioxins still exist in abundance in the environment, including in your food (especially meat, dairy products and seafood).
Not only is dioxin a known carcinogen, but also found to interfere with the production, transportation, and metabolism of thyroid hormones. [4]
5. Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFOA)
PFOA and its associated chemical drug, called PFOS (perfluorooctane sulfonate), widely used in atypical dishes, stain-resistant substances and food packaging, can also cause problems with your thyroid gland.
One study found that people with high levels of PFOA in the blood are twice as likely to have problems with the thyroid gland than those with the lowest levels [5] while past studies also associate a chemical with low thyroid hormone levels. It is not known how PFOA can cause a disease of the thyroid gland, or the chemical effect directly affects the thyroid gland or, instead, on the immune system, which leads to its damage to the thyroid gland.
6. Fluoride
Most municipal drinking water sources in the United States contain added fluoride, a measure designed to reduce the rate of caries. It can also be included in water supply from fluoride-containing rocks and soils.
Studies have shown that exposure to fluoride can lead to a decrease in thyroid function, including at exposure levels of 4 mg / l or less, which is the maximum allowable concentration of PET for fluoride in drinking water. [6] Effects can be especially problematic for children and people who drink a lot of water.
7. Perchlorate
Perchlorate is a byproduct of rocket fuel production, which is currently a widespread contaminant in drinking water, certain fruits and vegetables, and dairy products from cows that eat contaminated pomegranates.
Studies show that this can interfere with your thyroid gland's ability to absorb iodine, which leads to a decrease in thyroid activity or hypothyroidism even with low-level exposure. In a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it was estimated that 44 million American women, including pregnant women, have lower iodine levels or have subclinical hypothyroidism, may be at increased risk of thyroid problems due to perchlorate exposure. [7]
8. Thiocyanate
Thiocyanate is a chemical found in cigarettes and certain foods. This can inhibit the absorption of iodine by the thyroid gland, which leads to a decrease in the production of thyroid hormone.
9. Pesticides
Thyroid disease is also associated with exposure to pesticides from various sources. Among women whose spouses were licensed applicators for pesticides that used organochloride insecticides, hypothyroidism rates were 1.2 times higher than in the general population. Increased thyroid incidence rates have also been found in women exposed to fungal killers, herbal killers and other types of pesticides. [8]
How to reduce the risk of thyroid infection s
Chemicals are ubiquitous in our environment, but there are steps you can take to help reduce exposure time. Some of the best deals include:
- Use natural personal care products with ingredients that you are familiar with. At the very least, look for options that do not contain phthalates.
- Buy children's toys from natural materials, or at least without phthalate.
- Avoid exposure to old carpeting and carpet pads and polyurethane foams (upholstered furniture, mattresses, pillows) manufactured before 2005 (they most likely contain PBDEs).
- Store your products and drinks in glass or ceramic containers instead of plastic and do not overheat products in plastic containers or cover them with plastic wrap.
- Limit the use of canned food and canned soda (linings often include BPA) or find manageable products that do not contain BPA.
- Cut the fat from the meat to reduce the dioxins stored in animal fats and choose more compact meat cuts.
- Avoid polyvinyl chloride (PVC), such as plastic milk jugs.
- Look for unbleached sources of household products, such as coffee filters, tampons, diapers, paper towels, etc.
- Avoid the use of nonstick cookware; instead, choose stainless steel, ceramic, or other inert materials.
- Install a reverse osmosis filtration system in your home to remove fluoride from your drinking water and consider a complete filter to remove other chemicals, such as perchlorate.
- Avoid cigarette smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke.
- Choose organic products as much as possible to limit exposure to pesticides. Also, do not use chemicals around your house (including chemical treatments for lice, fleas and ticks for pets).
With increasingly strong evidence that the effects of chemicals on the environment, even at low levels, can negatively affect your thyroid gland and the knowledge that even small changes in your thyroid gland can affect your health, it is important to reduce your impact perhaps.
By making small changes in food choices and your personal care products, and paying particular attention to finding household items made from primarily natural sources, you will be perfectly able to start protecting your thyroid function from these common toxins.
Recommendations
1. Ecological science and technology 2010, 44 (17), p. 6863-6868
2. Prospects for environmental hygiene October 2010, 118 (10)
3. Endocrinology Tom. 150, No. 6 2964-2973
4. Review of alternative medicine 2009 December; 14 (4): 326-46
5. Perspectives on environmental hygiene 118 (5) May 2010
6. Committee on Fluoride in Drinking Water, National Research Council, Fluoride in Drinking Water: Scientific Review of EPA Standards, 2006
7. Press release of the Working Group on the Environment on October 4, 2006.
8. American Journal of Epidemiology (2010) 171 (4): 455-464
