Genistein and Hashimoto’s Disease

Can Genistein Help Heal Hashimoto’s Disease and Hypothyroidism? In the fall of 2016, a study was conducted in China and published in the medical journal Immunobiology. The researchers looked at the compound genistein and Hashimoto's disease to see if it affected thyroid function in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.  The research paper was entitled, “Genistein improves thyroid function in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients through regulating Th1 cytokines.”  To clarify, “Th1 cytokines” refer to a type of thyroid-helper cells that indicate how much inflammation there might be in the thyroid gland.  In other words, they are markers of inflammation. The results of this study were very exciting so you might want to pay close attention. What is genistein? Genistein is an isoflavone which is a plant-derived compound with estrogenic activity.  It falls in the class of phytoestrogens and is found in soybeans.  Clinical studies in the past have demonstrated that this compound has immune-regulating properties by exerting anti-inflammatory effects in certain health conditions including encephalomyelitis (inflammation of the brain and spinal cord), cardiac inflammation resulting from diabetes, coronary obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other serious diseases. In this study, Zhang and four of his colleagues began by pointing out that Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is now considered the most common autoimmune disease in the world.  It is believed that excessively stimulated thyroid-helper cells play the main role in giving rise to the autoimmune condition in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis patients.  While conventional treatment has typically addressed only the symptoms of the illness via oral administration of a thyroid hormone replacement, the fact remains that there is still an autoimmune condition in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis which can be a concern. Why is it problematic for an autoimmune condition to persist in an individual with Hashimoto’s disease? Previous studies have demonstrated that in those with fully or partially functional thyroid glands but not “fully hypothyroid Hashimoto’s patients”, long-term Hashimoto’s thyroiditis closely correlated with the prevalence of thyroid cancer. Chronic inflammation is never beneficial for the body so if someone is invested in his or her health, mitigating any autoimmune condition would be prudent.  In this investigation, the researchers wanted to evaluate any beneficial anti-inflammatory properties of genistein for those with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and examine what impact it might have on the chronic inflammatory condition associated with Hashimoto’s disease. How was the study done? Two-hundred eighteen female subjects between the ages of 20 and 80 were recruited, all with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. These requirements had to be met in the subjects: 1. Normal levels of free T3 and free T4 with or without thyroid replacement therapy 2. Normal TSH levels or slightly elevated TSH levels below 20 mU/L 3. Increased blood levels of thyroid antibody (thyroid peroxidase) greater than 100 U/mL Subjects with any of the following conditions were excluded: 1. Prior use of immunoregulators 2.