Is Keto (Low Carb) Really Safe for the Thyroid?
Dr. Berg’s Healthy Keto and Intermittent Fasting Podcast
Dr. Eric Berg
4.7 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 8 March 2020
⏱️ 5 minutes
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Is keto safe for the thyroid, or will keto damage the thyroid? In this video, that’s exactly what we’re going to talk about.
What is the thyroid?
The thyroid is in the base of the neck, and it’s controlled by the pituitary. The thyroid makes T4, but T4 is inactive. T4 has to be converted to the active form, which is T3. 80% of the conversion happens through the liver, and 20 % happens through the kidney.
How does keto affect thyroid function? When you go on a ketogenic diet, T4 will decrease up to 40%. But let’s look at the big picture. There are no studies out there that show any negative effects on the thyroid when you go on a keto or low-carb diet. Also, despite the 40% drop, there is no drop in metabolism.
T3 is becoming more sensitive and more effective.
I believe that high carb diets increase the need for more thyroid hormone, so T3 is higher. With a keto diet, T3 goes down, but I think that’s not actually abnormal. I believe that number is normal for what our bodies are designed to use.
So, is keto safe for thyroid function? Yes. When you’re on the ketogenic diet, you’re actually improving the efficiency of the thyroid.
Dr. Eric Berg DC Bio:
Dr. Berg, 51 years of age is a chiropractor who specializes in weight loss through nutritional & natural methods. His private practice is located in Alexandria, Virginia. His clients include senior officials in the U.S. government & the Justice Department, ambassadors, medical doctors, high-level executives of prominent corporations, scientists, engineers, professors, and other clients from all walks of life. He is the author of The 7 Principles of Fat Burning.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | So if you guys have any questions whatsoever about keto or in a minute fasting, |
| 0:04.4 | whether you're starting keto as a new person or just need to debug your program or we have a question about a product. |
| 0:10.5 | Call one of our keto consultants. They'll be able to help you. Call 5405.7. |
| 0:29.0 | Welcome to the Dr. Berg's Healthy Kito and Interminute fasting podcast, where Dr. Berg takes you on the journey for the truth about getting healthy and losing healthy weight. So I wanted to answer the question is keto low-carb actually is safer the thyroid or is it |
| 0:50.4 | going to end up ruining your thyroid and creating damage. |
| 0:54.0 | Let's take a look at that. |
| 0:56.1 | Here we have the thyroid. |
| 0:57.1 | It's in the base of the neck right down here, |
| 0:58.8 | about two and a half inches wide. |
| 1:01.2 | The thyroid makes T4. It's controlled by the pituitary, a hormone called thyroid |
| 1:08.5 | stimulating hormone. So this basically is what causes the thyroid to make T4. Now T4 is actually a pre-hormone or inactive hormone. It doesn't really do much. |
| 1:20.0 | It has to be converted to T3. |
| 1:24.0 | The 4 and the 3 are the number of iodine molecules. |
| 1:27.0 | So when it strips off an iodine molecule, |
| 1:29.0 | becomes T3, it becomes active. |
| 1:32.0 | This happens through the liver and the kidneys. 80% of the conversion |
| 1:37.7 | happens to the liver and 20% happens to the kidney. So when you go in a |
| 1:42.3 | keto or low-carb eating plan, it is actually true that T4 will decrease up to 40%. |
| 1:52.0 | Now that's pretty scary if you're only focusing on this one factor. |
| 1:57.6 | But we're going to take a look at the whole picture. So many people take this out of context and they end up giving you the wrong information. |
| 2:05.0 | So here's the facts. There are no studies out there that show any negative effects on the thyroid when you go on a ketogenic plan or a low-carb |
| 2:17.3 | diet. |
... |
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