Machine learning-based exploration of the associations between multiple minerals' intake and thyroid dysfunction: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

The importance of a reasonable balance of mineral intake has long been a core message among patients.

This paper picks up on nine minerals and identifies their importance collectively: calcium, iron, zinc, selenium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and iodine.

Machine learning-based exploration of the associations between multiple minerals' intake and thyroid dysfunction: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Shaojie Liu1, Weibin Huang, Yaming Lin, Yifei Wang, Hongjin Li, Xiaojuan Chen, Xiaojuan Chen, Yijia Zou, ChenBo Chen, Baochang He, Zhiping Yang, Jing Fan

Objectives: 

The associations between various minerals' intake and thyroid dysfunction (TD), including hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, are still inconclusive, which may be attributed to the potential synergistic effects among various minerals.

Methods: 

The data were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2001–2002 and 2007–2012 databases. Dietary interviews were conducted to collect the consumption of multiple minerals. Blood samples were collected to measure concentrations of free triiodothyronine, free thyroxine, and thyroid-stimulating hormone. A total of 7,779 participants with aged over 20 years were effectively enrolled in this study and categorized into hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism groups. Weighted multivariate logistic regression model along with three machine learning models WQS, qg-comp, and BKMR were employed to investigate the individual and joint effect of multiple minerals' consumption on TD.

Results: 

Among 7,779 subjects, 134 participants were diagnosed as hyperthyroidism and 184 participants were diagnosed as hypothyroidism, with prevalence of 1.6 and 2.4%, respectively. The results from logistic regression model showed that the higher the intakes of calcium, magnesium and potassium, the lower the prevalence of hyperthyroidism, with OR values of 0.591, 0.472, and 0.436, respectively (all P < 0.05); while the higher the intake of iodine, the higher the prevalence of hyperthyroidism, with OR and 95%CI values of 1.262 (1.028, 1.550). Three machine learning models were employed to evaluate the joint effect of nine minerals' consumption on TD, revealing a negative correlation with both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Of them, the potential minerals associated with TD were calcium, zinc, copper, and magnesium.

Conclusion: 

In short, the maintenance of a well-balanced consumption of multiple minerals is considered crucial in the prevention and treatment of TD, and the intakes of various minerals exhibit varying degrees of association with TD.

Open access:

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1522232/full

Increased risk of multisystem comorbidities and disease trajectories following hyperthyroidism: evidence from the 0.5 million UK Biobank population.

Many of those who have received radioactive iodine treatment report that they were not told that hypothyroidism is inevitable. But were led to believe that while it can happen, many don't have that problem. Hence interesting to read this sentence:

Long-term follow-up studies have shown that hypothyroidism was an inevitable consequence of radioiodine therapy in patients with hyperthyroidism of multiple etiologies.

The paper mentions 110 comorbidities. It is necessary to scroll past the end of the main text to view the diagrams and tables which provide more details.

Increased risk of multisystem comorbidities and disease trajectories following hyperthyroidism: evidence from the 0.5 million UK Biobank population.

Abstract 

Hyperthyroidism is a clinical syndrome caused by the excessive production of thyroid hormones, which can have a broad impact on overall health. We systematically investigated the subsequent multisystem comorbidities associated with hyperthyroidism and the progression of these conditions. After a 1:4 propensity score matching, a total of 5,832 hyperthyroidism patients and 22,579 controls from the UK Biobank were included in this study. Phenome-wide association study was conducted to explore the associations between hyperthyroidism and a broad range of subsequent diseases, supplemented by landmark analysis to depict the time-varying effects. Disease trajectory analysis was used to explore the sequential pattern of comorbidity progression of hyperthyroidism. Patients with prior diagnosed hyperthyroidism were observed to have an elevated risk of developing 110 subsequent diseases across multiple systems, as well as all-cause mortality and four causes of death, with particularly marked short-term adverse effects. Disease trajectory analysis demonstrated that the three disease clusters most affected by hyperthyroidism were cardiovascular disease cluster, gastrointestinal inflammation disease cluster, and diabetes-mediated disease cluster. Hyperthyroidism is associated with an elevated risk of subsequent multisystem diseases and mortality. Disease trajectory analysis has elucidated critical sequential patterns of disease progression, offering valuable insights for the management of comorbidities in patients with hyperthyroidism.

Paper is Open Access and may be reached via links below:

https://doi.org/10.1530/ec-25-0066

https://europepmc.org/article/MED/40193316

Currently the PDF is a double-spaced "manuscript" format which is not ideal for reading.

https://ec.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/ec/aop/ec-25-0066/ec-25-0066.xml

Variable hyperthyroidism outcomes related to different treatment regimens – an analysis of UK Biobank data

Posting for information. I have not read in detail.

Variable hyperthyroidism outcomes related to different treatment regimens – an analysis of UK Biobank data

Kris Elomaa 1†, Matt Spick 1†, Earn H Gan 2,3, Simon H Pearce 3‡* and Nophar Geifman 1‡*
1 School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK
2 Translational and Clinical Research Institute, International Centre for Life, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
3 Department of Endocrinology, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
† ‡ Contributed equally
* Correspondence: n.geifman@surrey.ac.uk , simon.pearce@ncl.ac.uk
Keywords: hyperthyroidism, Graves’ disease, comorbidity, biomarkers, first-line, radiotherapy,
thionamides, thyroidectomy

Background

UK guidance on the assessment and management of thyroid disease was set out in NICE guideline NG145 in 2019 and is expected to result in an increase in radioactive iodine (RAI) being offered as a first-line definitive treatment for hyperthyroidism.

Methodology

In this work we analyse longitudinal UK Biobank data to assess all-cause mortality and comorbidity risks associated with the main treatment modalities for 793 participants with hyperthyroidism, specifically antithyroid drugs (ATDs), RAI and thyroidectomy.

Results

Participants treated with RAI showed reduced all-cause mortality compared with those treated with ATD alone (time to event ratio 1.8, 95% CI 0.9 – 3.6), albeit the result did not reach statistical significance, as did those treated by thyroidectomy (time ratio 2.0, 95% CI 1.1 – 3.9). For treated patients odds ratios were generally elevated for osteoporosis, cardiovascular events and atrial fibrillation, but again did not reach statistical significance except for those patients treated by ATDs with an odds ratio for atrial fibrillation of 2.2 (95% CI 1.2 – 4.1) versus controls.

Conclusion

Our findings were consistent with those previously reported in the literature, and do not reveal any evidence from the UK Biobank to contradict the safety of RAI being offered as a first-line treatment. The data are also suggestive, however, that treatments do not fully eliminate risks of complications related to hyperthyroidism. This reinforces the need for both clear communication where there may be risks of complications such as osteoporosis, as well as clinical support for patients, even after definitive treatment.

https://etj.bioscientifica.com/view/journals/etj/aop/etj-24-0393/etj-24-0393.xml