According to scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Center, a nonprofit research institute that studies the senses of smell, taste and chemical irritation, our dislike for certain vegetables may result from particular genes that detect anti-thyroid toxins. In the study, which appears in the September 2006 issue of the journal Current Biology, researchers have found evidence that a particular taste receptor gene, known as TAS2R38, can detect glucosinolates, a particular type of compounds that are found in foods.Glucosinolates are compounds that act as goitrogens and have an anti-thyroid effect by inhibiting the gland's ability to absorb iodine. Iodine is needed by the thyroid as a building block for thyroid hormone. It's thought that being able to detect -- and, due to an aversion, avoid -- glucosinolates found naturally in food could provide a biological advantage to the more than 1 billion people worldwide who have low iodine status, and face a risk of thyroid disease.
The study genotyped 35 participants into three groups: sensitive to glucosinolates, insensitive, and intermediate. The participants then rated the bitterness of vegetables, including 17 glucosinolate-containing vegetables (which included watercress, broccoli, bok choy, kale, kohlrabi, and turnip) and 11 non-glucosinolate foods included radicchio, endive, eggplant and spinach. (Click here for a complete list of the glucosinolate-containing antithyroid vegetables tested.)
Those who were "sensitive" rated the glucosinolate-containing vegetables as 60% more bitter the insensitive group. The groups rated the other vegetables equally bitter.
According to senior author Paul Breslin, "the sense of taste enables us to detect bitter toxins within foods, and genetically-based differences in our bitter taste receptors affect how we each perceive foods containing a particular set of toxins."
Breslin does not recommend eliminating goitrogenic vegetables from the diet however. Says Breslin: "The contents of the veggies are a double-edged sword, depending upon the physiological context of the individual eating them."
Source: Sandell, Mari A. and Paul A.S. Breslin. "Variability in a taste-receptor gene determines whether we taste toxins in food." Current Biology, 2006, 16, R792-R794.
I’ve had my thyroid removed and am now on synthetic hormone. Do I ~not~ eat these food now or are they okay to eat?? I’m still confused. But I have to say I have often detected extreme bitterness in some of these foods in the past.
Are you familiar with a product called Juice Plus – is it benifical for Graves disease or should it be avoided.
I, too, am confused. I’ve had RAI, and am now on Armour. Do I eat plain salt or iodized? Do I avoid the veggies mentioned in this article or what?
Thanks.
I HAVE HYPOTHROID I LOVE BROCCOLI RABE IS IT ALLRIGHT TO EAT COOKED VEGS.
The article mentions seventeen vegies to watch out for, but only five vegies are listed. Same with the non-gluc ones. Only a few are listed. Could we have the full list?
When I was pregnant with my second child, I couldn’t stand either the smell or taste of Broccoli. I had been placed on Synthroid two years earlier. My doctor never changed my dose during the pregnancy. After reading this article, I wonder if my body was sending me a strong message because I needed more hormone than I was getting from the Synthroid.
I’ve been able to get the complete list of the 17 glucosinolate-containing antithyroid vegetables tested, and they are posted here online.
As for whether or not to eat these vegetables, that is something to decide with your practitioner.
But do keep in mind, cooking these vegetables usually eliminates or greatly diminishes the antithyroid effect.
Can you explain what “anti-thyroid” means.
I do not have thyroid disease. I eat broccoli,kale and cauliflower (one of these) almost daily. What quantity of these foods would you have to consume to produce a negative impact on your thyroid???
Good question. Question #9 is right on; if you do like and eat these vegetables, does eating them have a potentially negative effect on the thyroid?
While I understand the need to research the good and ill effects of everything we eat, it’s discouraging to know that now there are 17 vegetables that I shouldn’t eat because I am hypo/hashimoto’s. Well, I am going to continue to eat the foods on this list in extreme moderation – it’s bad enough having to limit my gluten intake, now I am told that a ton of veggies, including night shades, are bad for me. Good Grief.
I firmly beleive the above to be true. All through my childhood, my grandmother tried to coax and encourage me to eat cabbage and brussel sprouts on the grounds that they were “good for me” and of course, as I heartily disliked them and still do, I flatly refused – seems in view of the fact that my thyroid is now in freefall, I was wiser in instinct than she.
vegetable shredded finely and allowing dwell time shoed a reduction of glucosinolates of 75% after 6 hours. Boiling reduced glucosinolate by 90 % as leachate into the water. the glucosinolate and isothiocyanate are anticancer compounds at normal levels of ingestion.
This is just too hard. When person already has Gluten and Casein Sensitivities and this person already is diagnosed with being Celiac disease along with Hashimotos Thyroid Disease, which means you can’t eat Soy, and you also have Corn Sensitivities, and MSG is out altogether, and now you add a bunch a vegetables. What is a person supposed to eat? I use to love vacation time and finding a wonderful New restaurant to eat at. But I can’t because of all this restrictions to food, besides just cooking is not fun anymore. Life is not fun anymore. It’s unbearable, when there are so many restrictions to eating. An the Reality is. . . .Restaurants and Grocery stores are not going to change for just me, and I do not expect them too either. It’s just depressing. I use to love life and it’s adventures, when it came to eating. Now it just boring.
I know EXACTLY how you feel! This is my story as well. There are a lot of wonderful websites out there that offer glimmers of hope. The day after I finally received a confirmation on what I already knew to be my reality, this blog post was written.
http://glutenfreegirl.com/how-to-live-gluten-free/
While she can eat much more than you or I can, it gave me a different perspective to view my life now.
When I do eat out, I find that the nicer places are completely accommodating to my requests. I travelled most of June and had some wonderful food out in restaurants.
Good luck and may your journey towards restored health be a positive adventure!
Thank you, Mary, for mentioning that cooking the vegetable usually diminished any anti-thyroid effect. I LOVE broccoli AND cauliflower AND turnips AND bok choy. Now I don’t have to give them up because I usually eat them cooked anyway. It is enough to avoid starches and high starch vegetables. This would have put me over the edge to find out that I couldn’t eat vegetables either. I am glad many lettuces are not listed, unless I missed something.
I take my medication (Armour) at night so my body has a chance to absorb so I don’t think any goitrogens would interfere eating them at dinner time. I haven’t felt any different.
I also have a daily intake of Iodine in my diet. I found an online Iodine group that has testimonies that the antibodies diminished with an intake of Iodine so I’m hoping that I have the same results. I have had good things happen with the intake of IOdine. My Tsh remained lower than my FT3 & FT4 so I feel that I’m receiving good results there but feeling the good results is even more rewarding. Since I absorb my medication at night then I find that no amt of fiber gets in the way either for me. Fiber is important for the body & I won’t give it up.
I love broccoli, cabbage, watercress and spinach. Loved spinach since I was a baby, crave it now and then. I have taken armour thyroid for years. I used to have a goiter, it has shrunk in the last year or two since I’ve been on adrenal supplements. I’m confused, whats your advice?
Is there anywhere these requests for lists are answered. I came here because a search showed this as a place to find answers. I find a lot of questions, but nowhere on the site where they are specifically answered???????
I have a 2.1 cm nodule on my thyroid ( last FNB numbers were 2009), started at 0.5cm in 2005. I have Stage IIIA Breast Cancer with lymph involvement.In AC treatment now ( chemo). Oncologist has me on iron( low ferittin). I eat a lot of brocolli although it always ! gives me hiccups. Spinach every other day.. many greens. Should I cut back? WHat would be some more acceptable greens? Some mouth sores and diarrhea so avoiding salads and raw items.
i have an underactive thyroid.does all this basically mean i cant eat broccolli sprouts cabbage cauliflower etc.,?if i do what effect will it have on me?will i put on more weight for instance?
i have already given up pears and strawberries i find i am more tired on limited vegetables.