Hormone health expert shares 10 daily triggers that can quietly disrupt your thyroid function: Soy, pesticides, and more
Have you been diagnosed with thyroid issues and prescribed medication based solely on your lab reports? While these numbers offer valuable insight, they don’t always tell the complete story. Everyday habits and hidden environmental triggers could be quietly disrupting your thyroid function without you even realising it.
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Tanisha Bawa, a gut and hormone health expert and nutrition coach trained at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, has revealed 10 hidden factors that could be quietly disrupting your thyroid function.
In an Instagram video posted on November 4, she points out, “Your thyroid controls way more than just your metabolism. It’s the master regulator of your energy, hormones, mood, periods, digestion and even skin health.” The hormone health specialist explains that lab results alone don’t tell the full story – often, the real triggers lie in everyday environmental and lifestyle stressors that go unrecognised.
Soy
According to Tanisha, consuming soy products may interfere with thyroid hormone production in certain individuals.
Stress
Stress is one of the worst enemies of hormonal health. Tanisha highlights that chronically elevated cortisol levels due to poor stress management can slow down thyroid conversion.
Pesticides
Pesticides are another significant source of endocrine disruption. According to the hormone health specialist, “pesticides interfere with your endocrine system and overload detox pathways.”
Inadequate sleep
According to the specialist, inadequate sleep can lower thyroid-stimulating hormone levels and hinder the body’s natural repair processes.
Under eating
Tanisha highlights that not eating enough or even restricted diets like intermittent fasting signal the body to conserve energy. This results in reduced thyroid hormone production.
Over-exercising
Exercising more than your body can handle causes stress, which can drive up cortisol levels. Tanisha states that this can disrupt your overall hormonal balance.
Low vitamin D, zinc or iron
The hormone specialist emphasises that vitamins like vitamin D and minerals like zinc and iron are crucial for thyroid hormone synthesis, and low levels can disrupt production.
Low selenium or magnesium
Minerals like selenium and magnesium are essential in proper thyroid functioning. Tanisha explains, “Both support hormone conversion and reduce inflammation.”
Body and skin care products
According to Tanisha, many conventional body and skincare products contain hormone disruptors such as parabens and phthalates, which can interfere with normal thyroid function.
Laundry products
Using conventional laundry products like powder detergent can contribute to hormonal imbalance. The hormone expert flags these products as “another sneaky source of endocrine-disrupting toxins.”
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. It is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.
