Is Coconut Oil Really a Thyroid Cure?
From Dr. Ken Woliner
Jul 30 2003
A Holistic Physician Looks at the Question
A note from Mary Shomon: The May 20, 2003 issue of the weekly newsstand publication,
Woman’s World, featured a cover story “The New Thyroid Cure.” Since that article hit the newsstand about ten days ago, I’ve been inundated with emails from people who want to know if what the article seems to claim is true: Can coconut oil "cure" your hypothyroidism and ensure rapid weight loss? I asked holistic physician Dr. Ken Woliner to respond to this question for us.
Please note: Dr. Woliner has no financial relationship to any companies that sell coconut oil, and reports no conflicts of interest with the coconut oil industry, or with any other vitamin or pharmaceutical company.
by Ken Woliner, MD, ABFP
In their May 20th, 2003 issue (actually distributed around May 10th),
Woman’s World published a cover story, “The new thyroid cure” describing how a low carbohydrate/high protein diet and coconut oil could cure thyroid disease. Though I have not been able to directly interview the authors or their sources, I have done my best to make a reasonable assessment of the validity and reliability of this article. My opinion is based upon my review of this article, information available on Tropical Traditions (one major supplier of coconut oil), independent research published in peer-reviewed medical journals, and my own personal medical school training and clinical experience. For simplicity’s sake, it is perhaps best to split my comments into two: a discussion of the article itself and a balanced discussion regarding coconut oil and its relation to thyroid disease and weight loss.
What is the quality of this article?
Woman’s World is a “tabloid” style magazine that is sold in checkout aisles in supermarkets across the United States. They have been cited on numerous occasions for
fabricating quotes and other information. There is no consistency from article to article in each issue, with some stories promoting a low carbohydrate / high protein diet for weight loss, while on other pages, listing recipes for very high carbohydrate recipes. There is no way to contact the magazine to write letters to the editor or to contact authors of their articles. Simply put,
Woman’s World is not a reliable source of medical information.
Popular Spanish-language television host Cristina Saralegui is featured on the cover of the magazine and inside the main article. It does not appear that she is using (or has ever used) coconut oil. It appears that a majority of her weight loss and increase in energy was due to her new eating and exercise pattern. She now consumes less total calories by omitting white carbohydrates such as bread, potatoes, pasta and rice and forgoes the fried tempura, consuming only the fish (sashimi?) instead. In addition, this dietary change limits her carbohydrate and saturated / trans-fat intake, limiting her need to produce insulin to metabolize these foods. Insulin is a hormone that leads to fat deposition, most notably in the hips and belly. High insulin levels also lead to fatigue, and by reducing her insulin requirements, she appears to have more energy (and discipline) to exercise on a treadmill 30 minutes a day, four times a week. This increased exercise burns calories, and further lowers her insulin resistance. Though I have not had the chance to interview or examine Ms. Saralegui, I could reasonably infer that she is insulin-resistant and prone to diabetes (which is more common in Latino populations). As she still is a size 10 (and only about 5'5" tall), she is
still considerably overweight (and if not "overweight", her
picture portrays her as "overfat" and "undermuscled" with
abdominal obesity), and most likely has other issues that could
be addressed to optimize her health. Whether or not she has a thyroid problem or not cannot be ascertained by the information presented in this article.
Dr. Donald Layman, Ph.D., is a professor of nutrition at the
University of Illinois. He quotes that dieters receiving only
15% of their calories from protein have lower thyroid hormone
levels but does not pay attention to the fact that they also
have lower levels of thyroid binding globulin. He did not
measure "Free T3" nor "Thyroid Binding Globulin". (See
Understanding Thyroid Lab Tests) Dr. Layman's
article was in reference to different diets and weight loss, and
the data regarding thyroid hormone levels was reported only as
an incidental finding. Somehow, the writers at Woman's World
heard about this "incidental finding" in this article and
interviewed him. Dr. Layman realized that they were
misinterpretting his data and said to them, "Any extrapolation
of our data to thyroid would be inappropriate." He did not
intend to link Tyrosine (as quoted), nor weight loss diets
(which he studied) with the ability to regulate thyroid
function. (Layman DK, et al. "A reduced ratio of dietary carbohydrate to
protein improves body composition and blood lipid profiles
during weight loss in adult women." J Nutr 2003; 133:411-417)
Dr. Glenn S. Rothfeld, M.D., has written many health books including “Thyroid Balance” (Amazon.com sales rank 5/20/03 14,719). This book is considerably less popular than three other books on thyroid (“Living Well With Hypothyroidism” by Mary Shomon (Amazon rank 5/20/03 -- 969), “Thyroid Solution” by Ridha Arem, M.D. (Amazon rank 5/20/03 -- 1,530), and “Thyroid Power” by Richard Shames, M.D. and Karilee Shames, R.N., Ph.D. (Amazon rank 5/20/03 1,848). It is not considered a key source for information regarding thyroid disease. He emphasizes tyrosine, the amino acid that is found in thyroid hormone. Although low levels of tyrosine have been associated with hypothyroidism, this is thought to be mainly due to low serum levels of iron, tetrahydrobiopterin, and NAD, all necessary for the conversion of the essential amino acid phenylalanine to tyrosine. Because it enhances intestinal absorption of iron, vitamin C can help restore tyrosine formation when there is a deficiency of iron. Iron deficiency is quite common in women and can be tested with a serum ferritin level.
Dr. Bruce Fife, N.D., no longer sees patients and now derives a majority (if not all) his income from the coconut oil industry. He has not published nor cited any research relating coconut oil to thyroid function. It is unclear whether he has IRB approval to safely conduct human studies. As he is not a MD or DO physician licensed to prescribe (or de-prescribe) prescription medication, his suggestion to "give up thyroid medications and simply use coconut oil instead," is improper. Inadequately treated hypothyroidism could lead to osteoporosis, early heart attacks, and other disability. Though foods are generally less toxic than refined prescription medications, they do have the potential for harmful effects if taken in excessive dosages. For example, too much consumption of Vitamin E in the form of d-alpha tocopherol prevents the absorption of beta- and gamma-tocopherols, increasing the risk for heart disease. Dr. Fife references a University of Colorado review article (not a research article) that speculates on the possibility that medium-chain triglycerides could preserve muscle glycogen during exercise. From this theorized discussion, it would be difficult to come to his conclusions that "coconut oil can increase your calorie-burning power by up to 50%," leading to a weight loss of "36 pounds a year without dieting."
And Can it Help You Lose Weight?
Does coconut oil cure thyroid disease and lead to weight loss?
No one therapy has the potential to cure all thyroid disease because there are many different causes of hypothyroidism. Deficiencies of minerals such as selenium, zinc, and iodine are common (iodine less so since the fortification of salt with iodine). A relative deficiency of tyrosine caused by low iron, tetrahydrobiopterin, or NAD inhibiting its conversion from phenylalanine is another cause. A patient could be exposed to the toxicity of heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury; fatty acids such as oleic acid and trans fats; stress; infections; autoimmune disease; radiation; and trauma (thyroid surgery, other surgeries in the neck, whiplash during a motor vehicle accident). Other causes include imbalances of other endocrine glands and the hormones they produce such as estrogens, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, cortisol, insulin, TRH (hypothalamic hypothyroidism), TSH (pituitary hypothyroidism)), and the thyroid itself (benign adenoma or cancer squeezing out healthy thyroid, status post thyroid surgery, radioactive ablation).
Inability to lose weight is a complex symptom that requires a well-trained clinician to decipher the true cause(s). Though hypothyroidism is one common cause, there are many others including excessive consumption of calories, carbohydrates, trans-fats, caffeine, and artificial sweeteners; deficiencies of lean body mass (muscle that burns calories at rest), exercise (burning calories while exercising), vitamins, minerals, protein, essential fatty acids and water; and hormone imbalances as mentioned above. Ms. Saralegui did not consume coconut oil, and it was her low-calorie and low-carbohydrate diet combined with her increased exercise, that helped her lose her unwanted pounds. The other women in the article who did start coconut oil may have lost weight, but this is more likely due to the medium-chain fatty acids being absorbed without excess insulin production, rather than an improvement in thyroid function. Hashimoto’s Thryoiditis has a variable course with remission and relapses based upon selenium status among other things. The persons interviewed in this article would be wise to regularly consult with their personal physicians to monitor for the development of other symptoms and signs of hypothyroidism such as edema, skin changes, and osteoporosis.
In summary, a low-carbohydrate diet combined with adequate protein and healthy fatty acids (which can include a modest amount of coconut oil) will help some people lose weight. Correcting underlying dysfunction in regard to deficiency, toxicity and hormone imbalances will help more people lose even more weight, but will also reverse the other troublesome symptoms they may experience.
Dr. Kenneth Woliner is a board-certified family physician in private practice in Boca Raton. Though he often recommends vitamin supplements, he does not sell them due to conflict of interest concerns. He can be reached at Holistic Family Medicine, 2499 Glades Road #106A, Boca Raton, FL 33431; 561-620-7779. Contact him at:
[email protected].
The New Thyroid Cure -- May 20, 2003
The article’s cover says, under the title "The New Thyroid Cure," that there are "2 miracle foods that will: restart your sluggish thyroid, make your body melt unwanted fat, and triple your energy!”
The first miracle food they claim will help lose weight is protein in general. Here, they cite Cristina Saralegui’s weight loss, after switching to a diet the limited the amount of starchy simple carbohydrates, with more emphasis on lean proteins (like fish).
Second, they claim that "regular consumption of coconut oil effectively reverses hypothyroid problems, compensating for a slowed metabolism and other system failures as it stimulates the production of more and more thyroid hormone." They quote a few women who claimed that weight just "melted off" when they added large amounts of coconut oil to their diet.
Reprinted with permission. Article originally published
online.
