Thyroid Cancer and Dietary Supplements

More and more Americans are taking dietary supplements, either to boost their overall health or to fight specific illnesses. But before you purchase a variety of supplements to give you a leg up in your fight againstthyroid cancer, get educated on what you need — and what you should stay away from.

Thyroid Cancer and Supplements: The Good, The Bad, and The Unknown

Lori Wirth, MD, director of the head and neck oncology department at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, says dietary supplements are complicated; some may be beneficial, but others can actually interfere with yourthyroid cancer treatment.

Supplementation of vital nutrients is usually a good thing, but when you have thyroid cancer and are undergoing a variety of treatments to fight it, you need to be particularly aware of what you are ingesting.

If yourthyroid glandhas been removed as part of your thyroid癌症治疗, you’re taking medications to duplicate the role the thyroid gland played in your body’s metabolism. You should talk to your doctor before taking any supplements to find out if they could interfere with this.

Also, certain nutritional supplements contain iodine; when you’re following a low-iodine diet before thyroid cancer procedures, taking these supplements would undo the hoped-for effects of that diet.

Read on for more specifics from recent studies about supplements and how they can affect your thyroid cancer recovery.

Thyroid Cancer and Supplements: Say Yes to Vitamin D and Calcium

Treatment for thyroid cancer usually involves the surgical removal of the thyroid. Afterward, lifetimethyroid hormonereplacement therapy is a must. Dr. Wirth says, “Long-term bone health for people with thyroid hormone replacement is a concern." Because of this,vitamin Dand calcium supplements can help strengthen bones and ward offosteoporosis, the bone-thinning condition that makes you very prone to fractures.

Thyroid cancer survivors who have undergone central neck dissection, or CND, as part of their thyroid cancer treatment are also at greater risk for decreased calcium levels. CND is surgery that removes the lymph nodes surrounding the thyroid, with the aim of preventing cancer from spreading into those areas. A recent study found good news for people who have had CND: Taking vitamin D and calcium supplements helps regulate calcium levels.

Thyroid Cancer and Supplements: Say No to Selenium

Selenium is a mineral that promotes cellular health and has antioxidant properties. Most people get enough of this mineral in their diet without the use of supplements. Though some Web sites claim that selenium is effective incancer prevention, evidence of this is scarce. In fact, a recent study focusing onprostate cancerfound no correlation between selenium supplements and decreased risk of any cancer.

And selenium could pose a specific problem for those with thyroid cancer. Overuse of selenium supplements recently compromised the radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment of one patient. In this case, the supplements in question were made with kelp, a type of seaweed. The high iodine concentration present in kelp interfered with the radioactive iodine procedure. Before any RAI treatment, patients must follow alow-iodine diet; without realizing it, this patient was sabotaging his diet efforts by taking a supplement that was actually adding to the iodine level in his body.

While the supplement itself didn’t do any harm, the patient had to repeat intensive treatment, subjecting himself once again to risks and side effects. These includeneck painand tenderness, dry mouth, and nausea in the short term, and low sperm count or infertility in the long run. While the benefits of thyroid cancer treatment outweigh the risks, it’s certainly not something you would want to repeat.

If you plan to undergoradioactive iodine therapy, you need to carefully monitor your diet in the weeks before treatment. Supplements are not currently regulated by the FDA or any other organization, and it can be difficult to track down a complete list of their ingredients. If you are preparing forradioactive iodine treatmentor a scan, Samantha Heller, MS, RD, a nutritionist in New York, advises, “It might be best to stop all supplements during this time.”

Thyroid Cancer and Supplements: Stay Educated

If you are living with thyroid cancer, talk to your doctor about any supplements or vitamins you are taking, even beneficial vitamin D and calcium. Some may be harmless, but some can interfere with your treatment. Do your homework before deciding to take a dietary supplement, and be critical of claims that seem too good to be true.