Green Tea Extract and Hypothyroidism
Fluoride Connection

Green tea may be helpful to those suffering from hypothyroidism, but get it wrong and it might work against you.

Hypothyroidism is caused by an underactive thyroid.

It occurs when the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroxine, causing many of the body's functions to slow down.

According to Patient UK, common symptoms of hypothyroidism include tiredness, weight gain, constipation, aches and pains, feeling cold, dry skin, lifeless hair, fluid retention, mental slowing, and depression.

There are no scientific studies on green tea extract and hypothyroidism.

But green tea contains catechins and caffeine. Scientific studies have found that they increase metabolism and burn fat.

There may be some truths about the benefits of green tea extract and hypothyroidism, but beware of green tea that contains too much fluoride.

According to the United States National Research Council, "several lines of information indicate an effect of fluoride exposure on thyroid function."

The Fluoride Action Network explained:

Fluoride's potential to impair thyroid function is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that - up until the 1970s - European doctors used fluoride as a thyroid-suppressing medication for patients with HYPER-thyroidism (over-active thyroid).

Fluoride was utilized because it was found to be effective at reducing the activity of the thyroid gland - even at doses as low as 2 milligrams/day.

Now, this is controversial.

In the United States, an individual drinking 2 litres of fluid a day can consume as much as 8 milligrams of fluoride a day.

Perhaps this explains why the drug Synthroid, which is used to treat hypothyroidism, is now one of the top 5 prescribed drugs in the United States?

Tea plants accumulate fluoride from soil and water.

The older the leaves, the more fluoride it contains. According to some sources, mature, old leaves can contain 10 to 20 times more fluoride than young leaves of the same tea plant.

Youngest leaves are the highest quality. Green tea extract is usually made from the lowest grade leaves that are older and more mature.

It is important to purchase green tea extract from reputable manufacturers who undergo stringent testing of  its chemical make-up.

If you are consuming green tea extract, follow the instruction from the manufacturer and do not overdose.

Read Fluoride in Green Tea for further tips.

Patient UK. Hypothyroidism. http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068762/  

Fluoride Action Network Health Effects.. Summation - Fluoride & the Thyroid. http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/thyroid/

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