Understanding Your Thyroid: The Key to Energy & Health
January is a busy month. The holidays are over, and we get back to our routines—or to changing them. Thanks to new year’s resolutions, many of us feel overwhelmed with suggestions for self-improvement, and while they may not all last, taking care of yourself should always be a top priority.
New Year, new you, and we’re here to help remind you of some aspects of your health that you may be overlooking. Like your thyroid, which is something you may have heard about, but may not know much about. You’re in luck, because January is Thyroid Awareness Month, and Pfizer is here to, well, make you more aware of it.
The thyroid is a gland, shaped like a butterfly, that wraps around the windpipe in your neck and the health of a thyroid can mean the difference between a strong heart and a weak heart, between energy and fatigue. The thyroid affects everything from digestion to breathing to energy levels, fairly significant activities, and while your thyroid may not be something you think about all the time, keeping it healthy is key to helping keep yourself healthy.
When the thyroid is healthy, it produces the right amount of hormones to properly regulate body processes. When it produces too many or too few hormones, however, then those processes can tilt off balance and cause side effects or disorders.1
Many thyroid disorders are caused by things beyond our control, including autoimmune disorders (such as Graves’ disease) or family history. Pregnancy can also create or exacerbate thyroid problems. In some cases, however, thyroid disorders are caused by lifestyle factors within our control.
Here are two important steps you can take to help maintain good thyroid health – and they just may sync up with your new year’s resolutions!
Eat a healthy diet: Eating a nutritious, balanced diet can help your thyroid function well. This should include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins, and it should limit sugars, processed foods, and starches. This diet includes plenty of dietary fiber, which aids digestion and minimizes saturated fats, which contribute to heart disease. Be careful not to consume too much iodine—either through supplements or through very iodine-rich foods, such as seaweed or kelp2—which can contribute to thyroid disorders.3
Get regular exercise: Physical activity can support healthy metabolism and immune function, which support healthy thyroid levels.4 People with a thyroid disorder should check with a doctor before beginning an exercise regimen. For example, people with hyperthyroidism who have an elevated heart rate and body temperature may need medical guidance before a sudden return to exercise.5
Learn more about conditions that may be affected by thyroid dysfunction:
- Vitiligo Overview: Types, Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment | Pfizer
- How to Manage High Blood Pressure (With the Help of a Few Giraffes)
[1] National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. In Brief: How Does the Thyroid Gland Work? Last updated: May 28, 2024. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279388/
[2] Kelp Benefits: A Health Booster from the Sea, Healthline. Last updated March 20, 2023. Accessed January 28, 2025. https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/benefits-of-kelp
[3] Healthy Eating for a Healthy Thyroid. Harvard Health Publishing. December 7, 2017. Accessed January 3, 2025. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/healthy-eating-for-a-healthy-thyroid
[4] Klasson CL, Sadhir S, Pontzer H. Daily physical activity is negatively associated with thyroid hormone levels, inflammation, and immune system markers among men and women in the NHANES dataset. PLoS One. 2022;17(7):e0270221. Published 2022 Jul 6. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0270221
[5] Exercising with Thyroid Disease. Updated January 13, 2023. Accessed January 28, 2025. https://www.verywellhealth.com/exercising-with-thyroid-disease-3231592
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