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Claim
Strong Support
correlational
Analysis v3

In adults with epilepsy that does not respond to medication, a 12-week modified Atkins diet was linked to a decrease in T3 and fT3 hormone levels, an increase in fT4, and no change in TSH or rT3,...

32
Pro
0
Against

Mechanism

Synthesis from 1 study

How it works

The body slows down the enzyme that turns T4 into active T3, so T4 builds up and T3 drops. The thyroid gland keeps making the same amount of hormone, and the brain doesn't detect a problem, so it doesn't change its signal. Reverse T3 stays the same because that pathway isn't affected.

Most probable mechanism

In Simple Terms

The body reduces the enzyme that converts thyroid hormone T4 into its active form T3, causing T4 to build up and T3 to drop, while other thyroid markers stay the same.

Causal chain
1

Type 1 deiodinase activity decreases in peripheral tissues, reducing the conversion of thyroxine (T4) to triiodothyronine (T3)

Supported by evidence
which leads to
2

Free thyroxine (fT4) accumulates due to reduced clearance and unchanged production

Supported by evidence
which leads to
3

Free triiodothyronine (fT3) declines as a direct result of reduced deiodinase-mediated production

Supported by evidence
which leads to
4

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) remains unchanged because the pituitary gland detects no net drop in bioactive thyroid hormone signaling

Supported by evidence
which leads to
5

Reverse T3 (rT3) levels remain stable because type 3 deiodinase activity is not altered

Supported by evidence

Evidence from Studies

Supporting (1)

32

Community contributions welcome

32

Effects of modified Atkins diet on thyroid function in adult patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy.

Cross-Sectional Study
Human
2020 Oct

Contradicting (0)

0

Community contributions welcome

No contradicting evidence found

Gold Standard Evidence Needed

According to GRADE and EBM methodology, here is what ideal scientific evidence would look like to definitively prove or disprove this specific claim, ordered from strongest to weakest evidence.

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Source Study

Effects of modified Atkins diet on thyroid function in adult patients with pharmacoresistant epilepsy.

Score: 32
DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2020.107285

Similar Assertions

Adults with pharmacoresistant epilepsy who follow the modified Atkins diet experience a modest decrease in thyroid hormone levels, particularly if they already have low thyroid hormone levels or are taking antiseizure medications that reduce thyroid function.

32
0
87%

In adults with drug-resistant epilepsy following the modified Atkins diet, changes in thyroid hormone levels do not relate to changes in seizure frequency, the type of seizure medication taken, or how ketotic the body becomes.

32
0
87%

A ketogenic diet lowers free triiodothyronine levels without raising thyroid-stimulating hormone in healthy adults and people with epilepsy, indicating a metabolic adjustment to low carbohydrate intake that reduces basal metabolic rate.

1
0
74%