New Issue: Science’s Impossible Questions. Read Now

Can a Gluten Free Diet Help with Thyroid Disease?

A lot of patient-run websites insist that eliminating gluten is essential for treating thyroid disease. What's the evidence to support this advice?

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!


Jessica writes:

“I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism several months ago. There are many websites, blogs, and Facebook groups for people with hypothyroidism that insist that you have to go gluten-free. Is this true?”


On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. It’s an auto-immune condition in which the body’s immune system gradually destroys the thyroid gland. As a result, the amount of circulating thyroid hormone in your body is too low. This can lead to everything from weight gain to hair loss to heart trouble.

If your doctor diagnoses you with Hashimoto’s, he or she will likely tell you it’s not that a big deal. They’ll write you a prescription for replacement thyroid hormone and send you on your way. If you ask about whether there’s anything you should be doing in terms of diet or lifestyle, they will probably tell you there isn’t.

»Continue reading on QuickAndDirtyTips.com

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American

Subscribe