Is Ginger A Problem If You Have Thyroid Disease?

I recently received a really great question about the use of ginger for cooking and its relationship with your thyroid overall. If you are curious or concerned about whether or not you should be cooking with ginger, this discussion is for you.

The question I got was: Hi, Dr. C. I love your recipes, but I see that they use ginger. Don’t we have to avoid ginger if we have thyroid problems?

I am super happy to dive into this question for you and help make sense of it. Let’s discuss the facts, the sides of the argument, and what it means for you…

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Ginger: Safe Or Unsafe?

There are two sides to this argument that I see out there.

On the one hand, there are some things that can affect your thyroid health. These are things that you wouldn’t expect and are completely counterintuitive.

On the other hand, many things are discussed that engender a lot of unnecessary fear (in my opinion). That, by itself, is unproductive because it makes us worry for little reason.

Can Ginger Be Bad For Your Thyroid?

There are two distinct ways that I often see this written about.

The first one concerns issues with TH1 (otherwise known as immune regulatory cells). The general idea here is that, for some time, it was thought that TH1 and TH2 ratios were essential drivers of autoimmunity (and, therefore, thyroid disease).

Extending that theory, the thought was that many people with thyroid disease have too much TH1 activity (otherwise known as TH1-dominant).

To put all this together, if you have thyroid disease, if your TH1-to-TH2 ratio is essential, and you are TH1-dominant, it was believed you would want to avoid other TH1-dominant things (like ginger).

By 2015, the theory of TH1 and TH2-dominance between a driver of autoimmunity (or being relevant in general) was pretty well discredited1. It is no longer an idea or theory taken seriously (even though it was at one point)¹.

While I understand the desire to create a “good list” and a “bad list” to individualize choices, these things did not pan out. That’s why the idea of TH1 and TH2 ratios isn’t a strong argument to write off ginger.

Further Case Reports

After performing a deep dive into the data, I did find a case report that was written about a woman who seemed to develop subacute thyroiditis after ingesting 1 tsp of ginger in honey for ten days².

Here are some additional details to help us break this down:

• The case involved a 34-year-old female
• She experienced thyroid pain and swelling
• In addition, fever and racing heart

After being treated with NSAIDs, beta-blockers, and steroids, her condition seemed to improve. Then, a year later, she ate ginger candy, and these symptoms reappeared.

But, they resolved quickly on their own and seemed to go away.

Let’s start by breaking down the condition of “subacute thyroiditis.” This is not related to Hashimoto’s disease and is not an autoimmune version of thyroid disease.

We do not know precisely why it happens, but viral infections drive it. Some people who get a cold or the flu develop this acute issue within the thyroid.

You might even consider it a cold for your thyroid. It is sore, you may feel drained, and your thyroid function is altered. That said, it is also self-limiting.

Altogether, no mechanism was known in this particular case by which ginger could have made this happen. We know a lot about what ginger does in the body, but none of it is related to how subacute thyroiditis happens.

The best evaluation is that this case was more likely to be a coincidence than a correlation, which means that ginger likely did not have much of a role to play.

Ginger: The True Superfood

Based on the data we have, it is difficult to build a case against ginger’s harm to general health. The data has either been dismissed or is truly coincidental and invalid as a basis for guiding our thoughts on ginger.

What we know about ginger is that it is good, even great! It is one of the true superfoods out there, and I want you to know more about it.

The basic thing is that “ginger root” is not a root but a rhizome (the stem). You can even plant the version you buy at the store and grow your own ginger.

In terms of toxicology, it is right up there with carrots regarding how toxic it can be for us, or in this case, how low in toxins it is. Because you may be able to get too much, but it is more of an irritant than a toxicant.

Human Studies On Ginger

So, now that we know the basics, what does the data tell us about ginger? I pulled together some of the most impactful studies about ginger to help guide our thinking today.

There have been papers showing that ginger helps the rate of:

• Thermogenesis
• Increasing lipolysis (fat breakdown)
• Suppression of lipogenesis (fat formation)
• Lowering intestinal fat absorption while controlling appetite³

Ginger can also help with:

• Metabolic Syndrome (Read More: Healing Your Adrenals)
• Sports Performance
• Type Two Diabetes (Read More: Preventing an Underactive Thyroid From Causing Diabetes)

In addition, it can also help with:

• Nausea and vomiting for those undergoing chemotherapy or who are pregnant
• Acting as a “gastroprotective,” meaning that it is protective for the stomach
• Cutting the risk of cardiovascular disease
• Acting as a radioprotective (protecting from the side effects of radiation)

Great stuff, right? That is only a shortlist of what human studies have been provided in terms of the benefits of ginger. They are real and very effective.

How Should You Consume Ginger?

Now that we know about ginger and it is entirely okay to consume, what is the easiest way to get some each day?

There are multiple ways, so let me share some inspiration with you…

Including ginger in your tea is a great start, but ginger can also be used in recipes, such as:

• A wide variety of Asian-style dishes
• Desserts of all kinds
• An aromatic accompaniment to things like fish and poultry

One of my favorite ways of keeping ginger around is tossing the stem in the freezer. This is a great way to save your ginger before it goes bad and is as simple as using a microplane to shave it when you are ready to use it in any recipe.

Dried Or Fresh Ginger?

Most of the data that we have is on dried ginger. However, both dried and fresh ginger are similar. Dried ginger is only slightly higher in shogaol (known to be the most cancer-preventive).

The fresh alternative is higher in gingerol, which is where a lot of the benefits show up. Dried ginger still has gingerol, but the fresh version has more.

If you swap out one for the other in a recipe, please know that they are not equal amounts, and you may need to convert them to achieve the right taste.

My Favorite Ginger Recipe

I want to leave you with one of my favorite recipes involving ginger: my homemade ginger ale!

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1.5 cups chopped, peeled ginger – about 1/2 pound
• 2 cups water
• 4 cups of mineral water, chilled
• 3 tbsp fresh lime juice
• stevia/lo han to taste)

Once you have all that prepared, simply follow these basic directions:
Simmer ginger in water for 40 minutes, cover it, and let it sit for 20 minutes.

1. Strain liquid, removing solid ginger.
2. Return water to the pan.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients.
4. Refrigerate until chilled.
5. Mix in sparkling water.

This is a great way to enjoy some ginger easily, and it is one of my all-time favorites. Overall, I hope you’ll try it and let me know what you think!

Ginger & Your Thyroid

After today, I want you to know that you are more than welcome to enjoy ginger in your diet. It is completely safe for you and your thyroid and has a whole host of other benefits.

If you are still concerned about your thyroid, I hope you’ll try out the Thyroid Quiz today (Click Here: Take The Quiz). It should give you some great insight into your thyroid and what you can do to optimize your health starting today!

P.S. Whenever you are ready, here is how I can help you now:

1. Schedule a Thyroid Second Opinion with me, Dr. C, Click Here for Details
2. Need a Personalized Supplement? Check out My Thyroid Specific Formulations
3. Download and use my Favorite Recipes Cookbook Here
4. Check out my podcast Medical Myths, Legends, and Fairytales Here

Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Adrenal Reset Diet, The Metabolism Reset Diet and The Thyroid Reset Diet.

Dr. C’s gift for figuring out what really works has helped hundreds of thousands of people reverse thyroid disease, lose weight, diabetes, and regain energy. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.