IODINE
Written by Slawomir Gromadzki, MPH
WHAT IS IODINE?
Iodine is one of the important essential nutrients, which means that it must be consumed in our diet. It is necessary to the production of the thyroid hormones thyroxine and triiodothyronine responsible for proper metabolism, regulating heartbeat and controlling body temperature. In hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), therefore, body temperature tends to decrease because of a deficiency in thyroid hormone.
The thyroid gland is controlled by the pituitary gland. When the level of thyroid hormones (T3 & T4) are too low, the pituitary gland produces TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) which stimulates the thyroid to make more hormones.
RECOMMENDED DAILY INTAKE
It is suggested that iodine intake for adults should be at least 150 mcg per day. Pregnant should increase their daily consumption to 220 mcg and lactating women to 300 mcg.
However, Dr David Brownstein who is regarded by many as an iodine expert, suggests that the recommended daily allowance for iodine is way too low. As an example, he points to the Japanese whose average daily intake of iodine is as high as almost 14,000 mcg per day due to their diet which is rich in seaweeds! (>) It means that the daily iodine intake in Japan is almost 90 times higher than in America and over 100 times higher than in the UK, which fact may contribute to the much better health status of Japanese people such low cancer rates in Japan. Some studies already suggest that it could be also the result of considerably higher intake of iodine which has been known of its antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.
Busting the Iodine Myths – by Dr. David Brownstein >
DEFICIENCY PREVALENCE
The BBC released a report in April 2011 demonstrated that iodine deficiency has become rampant in the UK. A study published in 2011 indicated that iodine-deficiency could be a huge problem also in the UK. According to the study, 70 per cent of UK girls age 14-15 are iodine deficient suggesting that this problem might be linked to IQ declines.
In the United States, however, although the health organizations tend to suggest that Americans consume adequate amounts of this mineral, yet some experts such as Dr David Brownstein, maintain that almost all his patients are iodine deficient.
KEY CAUSES OF DEFICIENCY
Unfortunately, since today plants often grow on soils which are deficient in iodine and thus they are low in this important mineral we are encouraged to use iodine supplements. It is estimated that our iodine levels have fallen by 50% over the past three decades as a result of the fact that soil often deficient in this mineral.
Apart from soil depletion, there are other possible causes of iodine deficiency such as bromine which is a common endocrine disruptor. Bromide (a compound that includes bromine) can get into our body with pesticides, soft drinks, breads or other baked goods, fluoridated water, plastic containers, medications, etc. Bromide competes with iodine to be used in the thyroid gland. In this way, bromide leads to iodine deficiency in the thyroid gland and inhibits thyroid hormone production resulting in a slower metabolism, fatigue, hair loss, and other undesired symptoms.
Avoid toothpastes with fluoride, as it is toxic and competes with iodine for absorption and utilization, so less dietary iodine is absorbed, and iodine is absolutely essential for proper thyroid function. Drink only distilled or at least properly filtered water and take chlorella on a daily basis to remove fluoride from your body and brain. In addition, chlorella is also one of the best natural sources of chlorophyll.
ZINC, SELENIUM & MANGANESE DEFICIENCY & THYROID FUNCTION
Unfortunately, our diets are very often deficient not only in iodine, but also zinc, selenium, and manganese needed for adequate thyroid functioning.
POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES OF IODINE DEFICIENCY
A careful analysis of the scientific research dealing with iodine leads to the conclusion that iodine deficiency could be responsible for many underlying conditions such as goitres or the swelling of the thyroid gland, hypothyroidism (thyroid produces too little thyroid hormone) leading to fatigue and difficulty losing weight, ovary and breast cancer, or fibromyalgia, cold intolerance, dry skin, sleepiness, muscle pain, joint pain, constipation, depression, mental impairment, forgetfulness, menstrual disturbances, impaired fertility, inability to concentrate, etc.
Pregnant women are particularly susceptible to possible negative effects of iodine deficiency as adequate levels of this essential mineral are critically important for the proper neural development of the fetus.
In addition, iodine deficiency is known as the most common causes of preventable brain damage, mental retardation, and cognitive decline.
NATURAL SOURCES OF IODINE
Well, since the average daily intake of iodine of much healthier Japanese is as high as 14,000 mcg, it looks like we need much more than the recommended 150mcg of iodine a day. The best natural sources of iodine are seaweeds such as kelp. Including kelp in the form of tablets or powder as part of your regular diet will ensure you receive adequate amounts of iodine thus supporting your thyroid health and improving metabolism.
Research by Howell (1998) which involved British athletes found that the addition of kelp to their diet significantly boosted their energy and endurance levels and also improved competitive performance.
Using Celtic salt or sea salt instead of refined salt may help to increase your iodine intake too. However, even Celtic and sea salt don’t have enough iodine as this mineral evaporates from them over time. For this reason, supplementing is necessary. The best source of natural iodine is kelp.
Some sources suggest that Chlorella and Spirulina are good sources of iodine but it is not true. Only seaweeds are high in iodine, but spirulina and chlorella are not a seaweeds and they are not grown with seawater, except in some rare cultures. They may contain traces of iodine but not significant amounts. It is, therefore, better to rely on iodine content in kelp and supplemental iodine found in multivitamins.
IODISED SALT SCAM
Iodised salt can’t solve the problem of iodine deficiency because iodine quickly evaporates from salt. By the time the salt reaches the grocery store half of the iodine in the sealed container has disappeared (vaporized), or as scientists would say, the salt “sublimed” into the air. Once you get that iodised salt to your kitchen and open it, whoosh, more iodine escapes. The longer you keep it, the less iodine remains.
IODINE CONTENT IN KELP
In 1000mg (1g) of Kelp (usually about 3 tablets), there can be about 500mcg of iodine.
RDA (recommended daily intake) is set at 150mcg and SUL (safe upper limit) per day is 500mcg.
SYNTHETIC IODINE SUPPLEMENTS
If you decide to use a synthetic form of iodine it shouldn’t be iodine but iodide (a stable form of iodine) as our thyroid has to convert iodine into iodide and as a result, some harmful oxygen radicals will be produced.
Iodide supplementation is usually recommended in case of some nuclear disaster and radioactive activity as it protects thyroid by flooding it with iodine to prevent it from absorbing the radioactive form.
AVOID OVERDOSING
Normally hypothyroidism takes place as a result of iodine deficiency which causes the thyroid to produce too little thyroid hormone and thus leading to fatigue or difficulty losing weight. Ironically, the same may occur as a result of taking too much iodine. For this reason, it is also important to avoid overdosing synthetic iodine.
It is safer and better to use only natural forms of iodine found in foods such as kelp as it will not lead to any harmful side effects in case your iodine intake is too high.
Taking too much of potassium iodide can lead to thyrotoxicosis (overactive thyroid). Hyperthyroidism is mostly an autoimmune problem but sometimes excess iodine, a key ingredient in T4 and T3, can trigger the condition. However, it shouldn’t be a frequent cause as people are usually very deficient in iodine due to soil depletion and lack of this mineral in the food. In addition, T3 and T4 are partially composed of iodine. Therefore, a deficiency of iodine leads to decreased production of T3 and T4, enlarges the thyroid tissue and will cause the disease known as simple goitre. Goitre can be associated with both hypothyroidism as well as hyperthyroidism.
Many people with overactive thyroid ask if it is a good idea to take kelp or other natural sources of iodine as they think taking iodine supplements may worsen their condition. Well, it is possible, although in most cases iodine supplementation (especially in the natural form such as kelp, etc.) doesn’t cause problems in people with hyperthyroidism, all the more since deficiency of iodine is very common today due to soil depletion. Therefore, even those who suffer from overactive thyroid may be deficient in iodine which makes the problem even worse. However, in this case, I wouldn’t take more than 3 tablets of kelp a day as overdosing iodine can exacerbate the autoimmune response in people with Graves’ Disease.
The daily intake of Iodine recommended by the FDA is 150mcg. However, the tolerable (safe) upper intake for iodine is 1,100 mcg per day. Therefore as long as you don’t take more than 1,100mcg you should be OK. The recommended dosage of about 500mcg per day seems to be perfect and safe. In addition, if this iodine comes from Kelp, which is a natural source, it is regarded by experts as safe even if overdosed.
Dr David Brownstein who is regarded by many as an iodine expert, suggests that the recommended daily allowance for iodine is way too low. As an example, he points to the Japanese whose average daily intake of iodine is as high as almost 14,000 mcg per day due to their diet which is rich in seaweeds! (>) It means that the daily iodine intake in Japan is almost 90 times higher than in America and over 100 times higher than in the UK, which fact may contribute to the much better health status of Japanese people such low cancer rates in Japan. Some studies already suggest that it could be also the result of considerably higher intake of iodine which has been known for its antioxidant and anti-cancer properties.
Busting the Iodine Myths – by Dr David Brownstein >
Make sure you take enough magnesium and selenium when on iodine. Sometimes overdosing iodine may speed up metabolism giving heart palpitations that have nothing to do with magnesium deficiency. Some experts suggest that people who take iodine without enough magnesium and selenium may develop iodine toxicity over time.
VITAMIN C & MAGNESIUM TO IMPROVE IODINE EFFICIENCY
Also, proper daily intake of vitamin C and magnesium is important as it enhances the effects of iodine.
Dr David Brownstein promotes the use of magnesium chloride as synergistic to treatment with iodine. magnesium chloride is so beneficial for improving iodine levels not only because it carries magnesium but also because chloride competes with bromide (bromide competes for the same receptors that are used in the thyroid gland to capture iodine) and increases the renal clearance of bromide. It has been reported that without chloride some patients require up to two years of iodine therapy to effectively reduce bromide levels. Therefore, magnesium supplementation will likely ensure optimal results with iodine.
RELATED ARTICLES
HYPOTHYROIDISM (UNDERACTIVE THYROID), HASHIMOTO’S DISEASE >
HOW KELP CAN ACTUALLY HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT AND BALANCE YOUR HORMONES >
Avoiding Iodine Deficiency
By Dr Michael Greger
Why does this 15-year-old look so unhappy? Maybe it’s because of the iodine deficiency in her diet that gave her this goitre. Everyone needs iodine, but this is especially important for people who want to eat well since many healthy plant foods like flax, soy, and broccoli have what are called goitrogenic compounds, which can interfere with thyroid function in people with marginal iodine intake. So does that mean we shouldn’t eat broccoli? Of course not. We just need to get enough iodine in our diets. It’s actually really simple to do. Rather than using natural sea salt, use iodized salt, and you’ll probably get all the iodine you need. But if, for good reason, we don’t add salt to our food, we just need to get our iodine somewhere. Cow milk drinkers get it because iodine-containing disinfectants are used to disinfect the milk tanks, and so the iodine sort of leaches into the milk. The best source is sea vegetables, or you can get it in a multi-vitamin.
But I do encourage people to develop a taste for seaweed. It’s a wonderful food—dark green leafies of the sea. It may even prevent cancer. Seaweed inhibits human cancer cell growth, and this new study suggests it may even have a therapeutic potential for people battling liver cancer. Sea vegetables have lots of B vitamins and minerals—particularly the trace minerals, like iodine. The problem with seaweed is that we can actually get too much iodine. The recommended daily intake is 160 micrograms a day, but the World Health Organization places the safe upper limit at 1,000 micrograms a day. So that’s not a huge amount of wiggle room. And it’s less for kids—300 micrograms or so maybe too much for a five-year-old. This much laver or nori—a 2 ounce bag—has enough iodine to last an adult a week. This much dulse; a month. This much wakame; two months. And one little bag of kelp; five years. A quarter gram a day of kelp is too much. And it would be hard to spread that little amount of kelp over five years, so I recommend going with one of these other sources.
Do not, however, eat hiziki. The reason sea vegetables are so wonderful is that they are packed with trace minerals; they just soak them up right out of the seawater. Hiziki, though, may also absorb bad minerals like arsenic. One seaweed species in particular, hiziki, sucks up so much arsenic that governments around the world are now warning consumers not to eat it. From the US EPA, to the British government, to New Zealand, to Canada—even the Chinese government. Here’s what it looks like. Note the two different spellings. No longer should anyone eat this—at least not on a regular basis. Lots of other wonderful types of seaweed out there without this problem, so we can get the anti-cancer benefits without the arsenic.
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