The Study
Plasma levels of Th17‐associated cytokines and selenium status in autoimmune thyroid diseases
This study looked at a group of people with thyroid problems and measured things like vitamins and immune chemicals in their blood. It found that when one thing went up, another sometimes went up too—but that doesn’t mean one caused the other. It’s like noticing that people who eat more ice cream also get more sunburns—both happen in summer, but ice cream doesn’t cause sunburn.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at how much selenium people had in their blood and how much of certain inflammation signals were present, in people with two common thyroid diseases and healthy people.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 535 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — even if selenium levels weren't dramatically low compared to healthy people, they were still below the level thought to be best for thyroid health, and inflammation seemed tied to how sick the thyroid was.
- 2In Hashimoto's, lower selenium linked to higher antibody levels.
- 3In Graves', higher thyroid hormones linked to higher inflammation signals.
- 4But overall, inflammation levels were similar across all groups.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Immunity, Inflammation and Disease
Year
2021
Authors
Tatjana Zaķe, I. Kalere, Sabīne Upmale-Engela, Š. Svirskis, Gita Gersone, A. Šķesters, V. Groma, I. Konrāde
Related Content
Claims (6)
People with lower levels of selenium in their bodies have a higher likelihood of developing autoimmune responses, which involve the immune system reacting against the body's own tissues.
In people with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, lower levels of selenium in the blood are linked to higher levels of antibodies that attack the thyroid gland, even when overall selenium levels are not deficient compared to healthy individuals.
In people with Graves' disease, certain inflammatory signaling molecules (IL-17a, IL-22, IL-23, and IL-10) tend to increase or decrease together, but their levels do not relate to the levels of autoantibodies that target the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor.
In people with Graves' disease, higher levels of two thyroid hormones, FT3 and FT4, are associated with higher levels of certain inflammatory signaling molecules called IL-17a, IL-23, and IL-10, regardless of the levels of autoantibodies present.
Measurements of five specific immune proteins in the blood are not consistently different between people with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, Graves’ disease, and people without autoimmune thyroid disease, meaning these proteins cannot be used to tell these conditions apart from each other or from healthy states.
People with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis tend to have lower levels of selenium in their blood than what is needed for optimal function of selenium-dependent proteins, even though their levels are not statistically different from healthy individuals, suggesting that group comparisons may miss individual insufficiency.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.