Denise Richards thanks 'Housewives' super fans for noticing her enlarged thyroid
Denise Richards said she has eagle-eyed fans of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" to thank for improving her health.
The 48-year-old actress took to Instagram Sunday to reveal she's been facing health issues related to an enlarged thyroid – something she wasn't aware of until fans of the show pointed it out to her.
"A few of you pointed out after the #RHOBH reunion that my thyroid was enlarged," she wrote. "You were right, it was something I ignored until pointed out."
According to Mayo Clinic, though usually painless, an enlarged thyroid, or a goiter, can cause coughing and difficulty swallowing or breathing. The most common cause of goiters is a lack of iodine in the body, and treatment may involve medication or surgery. Other causes include thyroid cancer, Graves' disease or Hashimoto's disease.
Richards claims taking gluten out of her diet helped her thyroid issue. However, the medical community remains mixed about such a connection.
According to Scientific American, most doctors say there is no diet or lifestyle changes to improve hypothyrodism. A study published in the National Center for Biotechnology Information, however, found evidence going gluten-free could help women with autoimmune thyroid disease.
"It’s amazing to me in a short time eliminating gluten from my diet how much my thyroid has changed," she wrote. "I had no idea how much our diet really can affect our body and for me how toxic gluten really is ... I thank all of you who sent me messages. #selfcare"
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Denise Richards: 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' fans saw thyroid
