Vitamin D and automimmune hypothyroidism

When you hear of vitamin d, what is the first think you think of?…. Most likely, you are thinking of bone health.  It turns out that vitamin d receptors occur on many organs and via these receptors, vitamin d has many different effects such as promoting heart, kidney, musculoskeletal and pancreatic health. Vitamin D receptors are also on the thyroid gland and studies have shown that low vitamin d levels can result in autoimmune hypothyroid condition called Hashimoto.  How is this possible you ask? Vitamin D plays a role as an immune inhibitor that can suppress and prevent the development of autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto’s, but with low vitamin d levels, the effect of the immune inhibitor is less.  If you are taking synthroid for hypothyroid issues, you might talk to your doctor to have your vitamin d levels measured and dose vitamin d accordingly.