Effects of Different Supplements on Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

Authors

• Bingcong Peng, Weiwei Wang, Qingling Gu, Ping Wang, Weiping Teng, Zhongyan Shan
• Published: 04 December 2024
• Journal: Frontiers in Endocrinology
• DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2024.1445878

Introduction

• Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (HT): Common autoimmune disease, higher prevalence in women.
• Pathology: Characterized by thyroid cell destruction and lymphocytic infiltration.
• Symptoms: Increase in TPOAb and TgAb, normal/elevated TSH levels.
• Current Treatment: Levothyroxine is standard for managing hypothyroidism.
• Supplement Use: Potential for selenium, Vitamin D, Myo-inositol to reduce autoantibody levels.

Purpose of Study

• Compare effectiveness of different supplements in lowering autoantibody titres in HT patients.
• Focus on selenium, Vitamin D, Myo-inositol, and combination supplements.

Methods

Search Strategy

• Databases: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, CNKI.
• Search Terms: Related to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and supplements (selenium, Vitamin D, Myo-inositol).

Study Selection

• Inclusion Criteria:
  • Participants diagnosed with HT.
  • No use of levothyroxine, other supplements, or suffered other autoimmune or metabolic diseases.
  • Increased TPOAb or TgAb, no pregnancy or lactating issues.

Data Extraction

• Focus on study characteristics, participant details, outcomes, and quality using the Jadad scale.

Statistical Analysis

• Used mean differences with 95% CI.
• Random-effects method to pool data.

Results

Characteristics of Included Studies

• 10 articles included after screening 798 articles.
• Studies varied in intervention duration (3 to 6 months).

Effectiveness of Supplements

• Selenium: Significantly reduced TPOAb and TgAb levels compared to placebo.
• Vitamin D: Mixed results; not significantly effective alone in this study.
• Myo-inositol and Combinations:
  • Myo-inositol alone was not effective.
  • Combination with selenium may enhance effects but needs more research.

Network Meta-Analysis and Forest Plots

• Selenium consistently showed effectiveness in reducing autoantibody levels.
• Combination therapies (selenium + Myo-inositol) showed potential but lacked statistical significance due to limited sample sizes.

Publication Bias

• Conducted test showed stable results despite potential bias.

Sensitivity Analysis

• Results were stable upon successive exclusion of each study.

Discussion

• Selenium: Effective in reducing HT autoantibody levels.
• Vitamin D and Myo-inositol: Potential beneficial effects but require more extensive studies.
• Monitoring selenium and vitamin D levels is recommended during treatment.
• Combination therapies could be promising for future clinical practice.

Conclusion

• Selenium is effective as an adjunctive treatment for HT.
• There is a need for further studies on other supplements.

Author Contributions and Funding

• Financial support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
• Various authors contributed to different sections of the research and writing process.

Conflict of Interest

• No commercial or financial conflicts reported.

References

• Contains extensive citations from various related studies and trials.