New research shows that treatment with this powerhouse combination restores euthyroid status in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. What’s more, you can easily obtain the therapeutic dosages from foods.
Not only did thyroid autoantibodies significantly decrease post-treatment, but TSH effectively normalized, and serum free T3 and free T4 levels increased slightly but significantly compared to baseline (4). Of note, is that the combination of selenium and myo-inositol not only decreased thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies, but also decreased thyroglobulin (TG) antibodies, whereas selenium as the sole treatment only lowered TPO (4).
Selenium
In another three-month placebo-controlled trial conducted in New Zealand, subjects were randomized to receive two Brazil nuts per day, to provide approximately 100 micrograms of selenium, or an equivalent supplemental dose of selenomethionine (22). The Brazil nut intervention was found to increase plasma selenium, plasma glutathione peroxidase, and whole blood glutathione peroxidase as well as the selenomethionine supplement (22). Therefore, these two studies highlight the utility of including Brazil nuts in the diet to confer selenostasis and boost antioxidant defense mechanisms.
Myo-Inositol
Fresh fruits and vegetables, in general, possess higher myo-inositol content than canned, frozen, processed, or salt-free products (26). Extraordinarily high amounts of myo-inositol are found in cantaloupe and citrus fruits such as oranges, grapefruit, and lime (26). Other fruit sources high in myo-inositol include blackberry, kiwi, nectarine, mango, prunes, cherries, peaches, pears, watermelon, apple, and carob fruit (26, 27).