How To Reduce Your Risk of Hashimoto's Disease: 6 Helpful Tips

In Hashimoto's disease, the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, leading to its destruction and, over time, reduced thyroid hormone levels. This condition affects women around 10 times more than men. It’s also a leading cause of hypothyroidism in Australia, a condition affecting about 1 in 33 people. (Thyroid Foundation)

Genetics plays a significant role in the development of Hashimoto's disease, as it does in every other autoimmune condition. However, several other modifiable factors may also contribute to the risk of developing the condition. So prevention is really about risk reduction, and we'll discuss a few strategies that may help.

You'll also see how Everlab's program can support early monitoring of thyroid health through testing and follow-up. These tests don’t diagnose Hashimoto’s disease on their own, but they can help you and your doctor spot changes that may need attention.

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Overview: Mechanism, Risk Factors and Symptoms of Hashimoto's Disease

Hashimoto's disease is a condition of the thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped hormone-producing organ at the base of your neck. The thyroid gland controls energy levels, body temperature, and heart rate (overall metabolic rate) by secreting the hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). However, the thyroid gland's function is regulated by the pituitary gland (located in the brain), which secretes thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) to control the amount of hormone produced.

In Hashimoto's disease, the immune system mistakenly treats the thyroid gland as a foreign body and attacks it, leading to decreased thyroid hormone production known as hypothyroidism.

Hashimoto's disease is also known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis, chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis.

Common Risk Factors

• Family history of Hashimoto's disease or other autoimmune thyroid disorders
• Family history of other autoimmune diseases, like type 1 diabetes mellitus and coeliac disease
• Being female
• Nutrient deficiencies, for example vitamin D deficiency or selenium deficiency
• Chronic exposure to excess iodine intake
• Chronic stress
• Alterations in the gut microbiome
• Significant shifts in blood sugar

Symptoms

Symptoms of Hashimoto's disease result from the thyroid gland's failure to produce enough thyroid hormone. These include fatigue, weight gain, muscle weakness, sensitivity to cold, joint pain and stiffness, constipation, menstrual irregularities, hair loss, dry skin and depression or anxiety.

Over time, symptoms may worsen if not detected. This can include irregular heartbeat or slower heart rate, confusion or mental fogginess, as decreased hormones affect cognitive functioning. People may also develop goitres (an enlarged thyroid gland).

6 Tips To Reduce Hashimoto's Disease Risk

1. Eat Right: Adopt An Anti-Inflammatory Diet

Certain foods, like fresh vegetables and fruit, lean proteins (fish, legumes, and poultry), and healthy fats (extra-virgin olive oil, avocados, nuts, and fatty fish rich in omega-3, like salmon), should form a core part of your diet. These foods may help reduce inflammation and support healthy thyroid function.

Moreover, an anti-inflammatory diet helps keep blood sugar in check. Unstable blood sugar levels can worsen inflammation and hormonal stress.

Foods rich in vitamin D, such as fatty fish (like salmon and tuna), fish liver oils, egg yolks, and beef liver, can help keep vitamin D levels in a healthy range. Low vitamin D has been linked with autoimmune thyroid conditions, so maintaining adequate levels may be helpful for risk reduction.

2. Support Your Gut Microbiome

The gut microbiota helps regulate immune activity. White blood cells (soldiers of the immune system) are constantly communicating with the gut lining and the trillions of microbes it harbours. A disrupted gut microbiome may contribute to inflammatory imbalance and increase autoimmune risk in some people.

Here’s how to support your gut with evidence-based dietary tips:

• Eat diverse plant foods. The more varied your diet (vegetables, fruit, legumes, nuts, seeds, and whole grains if tolerated), the more stable and diverse your gut microbiome can be. Microbial diversity is associated with better immune regulation.
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• Aim for adequate fibre (if tolerated). Fibre is fuel for gut bacteria. When microbes ferment fibre, they create short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) that reduce inflammation, strengthen the gut barrier and help regulate immune responses.
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• Include fermented foods regularly. Fermented foods like yoghurt, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, and tempeh introduce beneficial microorganisms. Small but consistent servings may help lower inflammatory markers and support immune balance.
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• Decrease ultra-processed foods. Ultra-processed foods like cakes and pastries often contain emulsifiers, additives, and refined sugars that can disrupt the microbiome.

3. Maintain a Healthy Weight and Activity Level

Your weight and activity levels affect inflammation, hormonal changes, and metabolic health, all of which are related to thyroid function. Increased body fat around the abdomen increases inflammatory signalling, which can negatively affect hormonal pathways.

These habits will help:

• Stay active. Even modest movement helps. Research suggests that losing 5% to 10% of body weight can reduce abdominal fat and inflammation. The Australian physical activity guidelines recommend 150 to 300 minutes (2.5 to 5 hours) of moderate-intensity activity each week, such as brisk walking or cycling, combined with strength training.
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• Include strength training sessions each week. Strength training helps increase muscle mass and metabolic output, and improves blood sugar control. Two sessions per week are enough for most people to see benefits.
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• Track your progress. Monitoring your Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference can help you understand risk trends over time.

4. Reduce Stress and Harmful Habits

Stress can negatively affect immune and hormonal function, and it’s a recognised risk factor for autoimmune conditions.

Here’s what you should do:

• Get sufficient sleep. Sleep promotes immune balance, moderates blood sugar levels, and helps stabilise stress hormones. Aim for 7 to 9 hours every night.
• Avoid smoking. Cigarette smoking increases oxidative stress and inflammation, which can worsen immune function.
• Limit alcohol. Alcohol disrupts sleep, destabilises blood sugar and increases hormonal stress. To reduce lifetime risk, follow the NHMRC guidelines: no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 on any single day.
• Embrace stress-reducing activities. Incorporate mindfulness, yoga or movement therapy, and breathing exercises into your weekly routine.

5. Avoid Excess Iodine

Excess iodine intake can disrupt thyroid function, especially in people with a genetic predisposition. Both supplements and certain medications can affect thyroid pathways, including iodine supplements, lithium, amiodarone, some cardiac medicines, and herbal products.

Always discuss supplement use with your healthcare provider before making changes, and do not stop prescribed medicines without medical advice.

6. Support Early Monitoring With Testing

Hashimoto’s disease develops gradually. Many people experience years of fluctuating thyroid hormone levels, vague symptoms, or fatigue before a formal diagnosis. That’s where testing and monitoring can be useful.

When you join the Everlab program, TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) is tested twice per year, with the option to request more frequent testing if your clinician determines it’s needed. The program also includes vitamin D testing, an important marker because low vitamin D levels are common in autoimmune thyroid disorders. All results are doctor-reviewed and interpreted within your broader health picture.

If TSH is abnormal over time, your doctor will review it alongside other thyroid function tests (free T4, free T3, thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin antibodies), your medical history, and a physical exam.

Final Thoughts

There's no guaranteed way to prevent Hashimoto's thyroiditis, but these steps to reduce risk factors may help. Combining an anti-inflammatory diet, regular activity, stress management, and biomarker monitoring is a solid step in the right direction.

Everlab's semi-annual TSH testing, plus the option to add nutrient checks, can support earlier follow-up and personalised recommendations for maintaining healthy thyroid function with your doctor.

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Sources

1. ‍Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's disease, Australian Thyroid Foundation
2. ‍Hypothyroidism, Hormones Australia
3. ‍Hashimoto's disease, healthdirect Australia