Hello doc,

In relation of effect of Cruciferous Vegatables and Funtioning of thyroid Glands here are some transcripts form various studies which should help us plan our approach..

1. Very high intakes of cruciferous vegetables, such as cabbage and turnips, have been found to cause hypothyroidism (insufficient production of thyroid hormones) in animals (54).

-Two mechanisms can potentially explain this effect. The hydrolysis of progoitrin, found in cruciferous vegetables , may yield a compound known as goitrin, which may interfere with thyroid hormone synthesis. The hydrolysis of another class of glucosinolates, known as indole glucosinolates, results in the release of thiocyanate ions that can compete with iodine for uptake by the thyroid gland (55).

2. However, increased exposure to thiocyanate ions from cruciferous vegetable consumption does not appear to increase the riskof hypothyroidism unless accompanied by iodine deficiency. One study in humans found that the consumption of 150 g/day (5 oz/day) of cooked Brussels sprouts (another cruciferous )for four weeks had no adverse effects on thyroid function (56).

In conclusion eating cruciferous vegetables should not impact your patients thyroid functions until unless they are also suffering from Iodine deficiency or are eating very large quantities of Uncooked Criciferous vegetables. As Rahul sir shared cooking the Cruciferous veggies in this case further alleviates the risk.

why should we add cricuferous to our patients diet,

well apart from the obvious benefit of calories vs satiety, high fiber content here are some other points to consider..

few observational Studies have specifically examined the potential benefits of cruciferous vegetable consumption. In the Shanghai  Health Study (mean follow-up, 10.2 years) which included a total of 134,796 Chinese adults, participants in the highest versus low level of cruciferous vegetable intakes had a 22% reduced risk of all cause-mortality and a 31% reduced risk of CVD-related mortality (26). A case-control study conducted in 2,042 subjects (ages, <75 years) who survived a first acute myocardial infarction (MI), and matched healthy controls with no CVD history found that the individuals in the highest versus lowest quantity of cruciferous vegetable intakes (6 times/week versus <1 time/week) had 27% lower odds of MI .

Analysis of data from two 12-week Randomised control trial in 130 participants with mild or moderate CVD risk found that the consumption of 400 g/week of high-glucosinolate broccoli resulted in a significant reduction in LDL- Cholestrol concentration in Plasma.

High intakes of cruciferous vegetables have been associated with lower risk of bladder, breast, colorectal, endometrial, gastric, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, and renal cancer.

Conclusion : We should definitely include Cruciferous vegetables in our patients diet.  In case of Hypothyroid patients instruction should be to take cooked / streamed cabbage only and limit it to certain extent by adding other option to the salads.