Nutrition-Based, High-Protein Adjunct Therapy for Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: A Case Report

Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) can cause symptoms as weight gain and fatigue, or with more drastic ones like lowered blood pressure, low resting heart rate, or manifestation of nutritional deficiencies. While diagnostic criteria for HT are aimed at detecting abnormalities in thyroid hormones, there is scarce data on nutritional markers for concerns related to the manifestation of thyroid disease symptoms. We report the case of a 21-year-old overweight female with a 10-year history of HT. The patient developed severe bilateral lower extremity muscle weakness and fatigue, severe enough to restrict exercise activity and normal daily activity, and affect the quality of life. These symptoms were accompanied by relatively normal blood markers for thyroid hormones. Adjunct therapy consisted of a high-protein diet, utilizing the one-gram per pound of body weight method, supplemented with daily essential amino acids, including tyrosine, valine, and leucine. With nutritional intervention implementation, the patient's symptoms of weight loss, fatigue, and lack of endurance capacity resolved over two weeks. She was able to restart daily exercise without symptom relapse. The report highlights the resolution of symptoms in an HT patient and delves into the connection between amino acid deficiency and thyroid disease, along with the novel nutritional intervention employed for managing this patient's case.