Thyroid tumors are a disease related to the body’s endocrine system and are common in women. In addition to using the correct prescription of the doctor, diet also plays an important role in the treatment of thyroid tumors. So what should people with thyroid tumors avoid eating?
Overview of thyroid tumors
Thyroid tumors are a pathological condition that occurs when there is an abnormal proliferation of cells in the thyroid parenchyma. Thyroid tumors can be liquid or solid. These tumors will change the mechanism of operation and function of the thyroid gland, and also cause loss of aesthetics in the neck area of the patient.
The symptoms of thyroid tumors are often unclear and not loud, making diagnosis difficult. People with thyroid tumors may experience fatigue, headache, dizziness, restlessness, anxiety, weight loss, drowsiness and decreased sexual desire. These symptoms occur due to changes in thyroid hormones that cause an imbalance in metabolism as well as changes in the patient’s feelings.
To make an accurate diagnosis of thyroid tumors, the doctor will order blood tests to check hormone levels in the body. At the same time, the doctor will also perform a thyroid ultrasound to check the size and shape of the tumor. If necessary, the doctor may order a biopsy to observe the condition of thyroid cells under a microscope.
Blood test indicators play an important role in diagnosing thyroid tumors.
The role of diet in the treatment of thyroid tumors
Currently, there are many effective methods applied to treat thyroid tumors. The doctor will rely on the progression of the tumor and the patient’s health to provide the most appropriate treatment method, which can be surgery to remove the tumor, maintenance treatment with medication or endoscopic treatment…
However, according to experts, to control the condition of thyroid tumors as well as the amount of hormones secreted at a moderate level, patients need to build a scientific diet and absolutely stay away from foods that are harmful to the body, especially the thyroid gland.
The thyroid gland is very susceptible to the effects of nutrients introduced into the body, especially selenium, iodine or gluten. These are substances that cause the amount of thyroid hormones to change erratically. The instability of thyroid hormones will affect a series of reaction processes in the body, including metabolism and energy conversion. So what should people with thyroid tumors avoid eating and what should they eat?
What should thyroid tumor patients avoid eating is a question of many people.
What should thyroid tumor patients avoid eating?
When realizing the importance of nutrition during thyroid tumor treatment, many patients have wondered what to avoid eating to control possible complications. Long Chau Pharmacy will suggest to readers about foods that should be limited in consumption to support the treatment of thyroid tumors, specifically:
Soybeans
According to experts, soybeans are considered a food that patients with thyroid tumors should avoid consuming. Because soybeans contain a fairly high amount of isoflavones, which hinder the absorption of iodine by the thyroid gland. From there, it negatively affects the hormone production of the thyroid gland.
Therefore, the advice for thyroid tumor patients is to minimize the consumption of soy products such as soy milk, tofu, soy sauce, etc.
People with thyroid tumors should stay away from soy products.
Foods containing gluten
Gluten is considered the number 1 “enemy” of thyroid diseases, because this substance causes autoimmune reactions and increases the risk of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. Gluten is found in many foods such as wheat, rye, cakes, cookies, etc.
In addition, according to statistics, about 10% of the world’s population is intolerant to gluten because this substance causes symptoms of abdominal pain, bloating, indigestion, diarrhea, etc.
Processed foods
The bad calories and additives in processed foods can make tumors grow faster and significantly affect the treatment process. Therefore, if you have thyroid cancer, you need to stay away from fried foods, fast foods and pre-packaged products.
Animal organs
Linoleic acid in animal organs will adversely affect the function of the thyroid gland, and also reduce the effectiveness of drugs used to treat thyroid tumors. Therefore, patients with thyroid tumors should stay away from animal organs such as heart, liver, intestines, etc. to help prevent the treatment of the disease from being prolonged.
Fiber
What should people with thyroid tumors avoid? The answer is foods rich in fiber. Because fiber hinders the absorption of treatment drugs in the body of patients with thyroid tumors. This significantly reduces the effectiveness of drug treatment in patients with thyroid tumors.
Therefore, to achieve the best treatment effect, patients should not eat too many vegetables and fruits containing a lot of fiber, especially close to the time of taking the medicine. On the other hand, patients with thyroid tumors should not completely eliminate foods containing fiber from their daily diet to avoid adversely affecting the digestive system.
People with thyroid tumors should also limit foods rich in fiber.
Sugar and sweeteners
People with thyroid tumors often have impaired metabolism due to changes in hormone levels. Therefore, when consuming too much sugar or sweeteners, the body will not be able to completely convert sugar into energy. As a result, the body has excess sugar, gains weight and significantly affects the function of the thyroid gland.
Patients with thyroid tumors should avoid foods high in sugar to limit weight gain and support the treatment process.
Drinks containing stimulants
Stimulants such as alcohol, carbonated drinks or caffeine are always on the “black list” of harmful drinks for the body that any subject needs to stay away from.
For people with thyroid tumors, these stimulants will seriously affect the function of the thyroid gland, disrupt hormone production in the body and reduce the ability to absorb treatment drugs.
Calcium-containing preparations
In the case of post-thyroid surgery, the patient will be prescribed synthetic thyroid hormones and the doctor will also advise the patient to stay away from calcium-rich products such as milk, calcium pills, etc. or to take calcium-containing preparations far from the time of taking thyroid hormone medication. In fact, these products will hinder the body’s absorption of the drug.
Milk is also on the list of foods to avoid for thyroid tumor patients.
Thus, in addition to strictly following the doctor’s instructions, thyroid tumor patients also need to clearly understand the appropriate diet to support the treatment process. Hopefully, with the above sharing, readers have a better understanding of the role of nutrition for thyroid tumor patients and can answer the question of what to avoid eating with thyroid tumor.
