- You are here:
- Home »
- Blog »
- Health News »
- Hashimoto’s Health Tip: Pesticides and Hypothyroidism
Hashimoto’s Health Tip: Pesticides and Hypothyroidism
Produce with Highest Levels of Pesticides
One of my favorite organizations, the Environmental Working Group, released their 2014 list of produce with highest amount of pesticides.
This is a real concern for those of us with Hashimoto’s and hypothyroidism because studies have linked pesticide concentrations with a significant increase in thyroid disease.
Link Between Thyroid Disease and Pesticides
One study (see the link below) looked at the prevalence of thyroid disease in spouses of pesticide applicators (people who work on farms and applied them.)
They found an association of organochlorines and fungicides with hypothyroidism. And a 12.5% higher increase in thyroid disease than in the general population.
According to the study “Exposure to these classes of pesticides and thyroid dysfunction is plausible given that the main effects of these compounds are thought to be elevation of TSH levels and reduction of circulating thyroid hormone (T3 and T4).”
An Apple A Day Doesn’t Keep The Doctor Away Anymore
Nonorganic apples once again topped The EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce report, making it the fourth year in a row that the fruit that has the reputation of keeping the doctor away, may now be having the opposite effect thanks to better living through chemistry.
Kale, collard greens, and hot peppers were frequently contaminated with insecticides that are particularly toxic to human health, prompting their “Dirty Dozen Plus” status.
The moral of the story? Grow your own in an organic garden and/or buy organic at your local farmer’s market.
The 2014 “Dirty Dozen”
1. Apples
2. Strawberries
3. Grapes
4. Celery
5. Peaches
6. Spinach
7. Sweet Bell Peppers
8. Nectarines (Imported)
9. Cucumbers
10. Cherry Tomatoes
11. Snap Peas (Imported)
12. Potatoes
+ Hot Peppers
+ Kale/Collard Greens
2014 “Clean 15”
It’s not all bad news! This produce contained the lowest pesticide levels.
1. Avocados
2. Sweet Corn
3. Pineapples
4. Cabbage
5. Sweet Peas (Frozen)
6. Onions
7. Asparagus
8. Mangoes
9. Papayas
10. Kiwi
11. Eggplant
12. Grapefruit
13. Cantaloupe
14. Cauliflower
15. Sweet Potatoes
Reference:
About the Author Marc Ryan
So now, not only is it my profession, it’s my passion, and it’s personal. I’ve been joking with people lately saying it’s a blessing and a curse. A blessing because I really get it, and a curse because I really got it! ?
