Iodine is a trace mineral that is essential for health. Iodine plays an important role in ensuring proper thyroid gland functioning. It plays a pivotal role in manufacturing the thyroid hormones, Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3). (1)
Iodine also helps prevent fibrocystic breast disease, a condition when breast swell causing pain.
Iodine helps strengthen the immune system and prevents miscarriages.
It is used as a disinfectant and used in water purification systems because it deactivates bacteria.
Iodine is highly bioavailable. It is absorbed in the small intestine and to a lesser extent, the stomach. Once in the blood, iodine is rapidly taken up by the thyroid gland and incorporated into the thyroid hormones. Its uptake by the thyroid gland is regulated by thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), produced by the pituitary gland located directly beneath the brain. (2)
Thyroid hormones regulates and influences
- growth
- reproduction
- energy metabolism
- the immune system
- the neural development
Iodine helps regulate thyroid hormones. Without sufficient iodine, your body is unable to synthesize these hormones. Thyroid hormones regulate metabolism in every cell of the body and play a role in virtually all physiological function.
In addition, iodine supplements are used in the event of a nuclear accident to prevent the absorption of radioactive iodine by the thyroid gland protecting against thyroid damage and possibly thyroid cancer.
Your thyroid gland uses iodine to make hormones, so it tends to concentrate iodine whenever it is introduced into your body. One substance released during nuclear accidents like the one in Japan is radioactive iodine called I-131. Your thyroid can’t distinguish between natural iodine and I-131, so if you were to be exposed to nuclear radiation your thyroid could potentially stockpile enough I-131 to lead to cancer some years later.
The thyroid is particularly good at absorbing iodine, but if it is already saturated with iodine say from potassium iodide tablets or naturally occurring sources, it is less likely to absorb the damaged I-131. That is why the Japanese government issued potassium iodide after the Fukushima accident, and it also explains why so many people the world over are suddenly interested in the supplement today.
The trace amount of iodine found in sea salt is not sufficient to saturate thyroid tissue with natural iodine and prevent the absorption of I-131. In fact, even artificially iodized table salt would be insufficient–you would have to eat so much you’d be sick.
Signs of not consuming enough iodine
- Goiter (enlargement of thyroid gland)
- Depression
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Weight Gain
- Cretinism (fetal iodine deficiency)
When there is iodine deficiency, low levels of T3 and T4 signal the pituitary gland to release more TSH in order to increase their production. Stimulation of the thyroid gland by high level of TSH causes the thyroid gland to become enlarged causing goiter. Typically you will see weight troubles, eyebrow or body hair loss, low thyroid hormone or TSH levels in the blood than goiter. (2)
How much iodine is recommended?
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) and The Suggested Optimal Daily Nutritional Allowances (SONA) for iodine is between 110 mcg to 290 mcg depending on age and circumstance.
According to Institute of Medicine, the Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL) for iodine vary from 900 mcg to 1100 mcg of iodine per day depending on age and circumstance.
Others like Dr. Brownstein, a Board-Certified family physician and the Medical Director of the Center for Holistic Medicine in West Bloomfield, Michigan, recommend iodine in doses ranging from 6-50mg/day (in Milligrams not micrograms) is adequate to provide iodine for the vast majority of the population.
To confuse the matter, the American Thyroid Association (ATA) advises against the ingestion of iodine or kelp supplements containing in excess of 500 mcg iodine daily, and noted that ingesting more than 1,100 mcg of iodine per day (the tolerable upper limit) may cause thyroid dysfunction. (3)
Who should we trust?
The most important thing to remember is that we need to be the keeper of our own temple. We are all unique biochemically. We all respond differently to everything we eat including those nutrients that are super important to us.
Signs of overconsumption of iodine
It is difficult to take in too much iodine from food sources alone. However, in certain circumstances, excessive consumption of iodine can actually inhibit the synthesis of thyroid hormone leading to goiter or hypothyroidism. Overconsumption of iodine could also lead to hyperthyroidism, thyroid papillary cancer, and/or iodemia which is a serious skin reaction. Individuals with Grave’s disease or Hashimoto’s which are both autoimmune thyroid disease may be susceptible to the negative side effects of excessive iodine consumptions.
According to Dr. Guy Abraham, out of 5000 patients tested, 95% of the population is deficient in the form of iodine.
Foods rich in iodine
- Sea vegetables
- Scallops
- Cod
- Yogurt
- Shrimp
- Sardines
- Salmon
- Cow’s milk
- Eggs
- Tuna
Ocean fish tend to have high amounts of iodine because they concentrate the iodine from sea water into their tissues. (2)
What about salt?
About half the salt that American put on their food is iodized. Kosher and sea salt are not iodine fortified. (2)
Careful attention needs to be paid to salt. Not all salt is created equal. And just because it is iodized doesn’t make it safe to consume.
One note of caution. Don’t go to the store and pick up that container with the little girl in the yellow dress holding the purple umbrella. Iodized table salt may have a high amount of iodine, but it’s chock full of chemicals.
Processed table salt is missing over 80 minerals. But only ONE mineral is added back in — iodine. That’s because iodine is the one mineral that causes the most obvious disease (goiter is sort of hard to not notice).
Healthy sea salts (Himalayan, Celtic or Real Salt) are never adulterated like regular table salt, so they retain healthy minerals like copper, iodine, potassium, magnesium, chromium, zinc, iron and others.
Table salt is so refined that I consider it a food additive because certain brands look virtually like the same industrial chemical used to de-ice highways. Sea salt, on the other hand, is not synthesized in a lab. It is essentially water from a sea (or river) that gets evaporated and purified. This type of dried sea salt fully retains healthy minerals that you need for your very survival, and for normal thyroid, muscle, heart and pancreatic function. These types of salts usually won’t raise your blood pressure to the extent that table salt will. Again, keep in mind that we are biochemically individual meaning that we are all unique. A nutrient may be good for one person but not for another. 30% of the population may be salt sensitive.
Sea salt does contain naturally-occurring iodine, but not enough to satisfy the recommended daily allowance of 150 micrograms. Because nature intended salt to provide our bodies with sodium chloride and trace minerals! Get naturally occurring iodine from other delicious sources like kelp, sea vegetable, yogurt, eggs, and mozzarella cheese.
Food and toxins that deplete iodine
- Goitrogens can inhibit iodine utilization in situations of very low iodine intake or in people who have thyroid dysfunction. They are found in cassava (a root eaten worldwide), soybeans, peanuts and millet, and cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, and brussel sprouts. While overconsumption of these foods may reduce the amount of available iodine for the manufacture of thyroid hormones, cooking them (like steaming the broccoli) may partly offset this effect by deactivating the goitrogenic substances.
- Fluorides (artificial fluoride added to municipal water systems) have been shown in studies to decrease the iodine levels. Fluoride exposure aggravates the impact of iodine deficiency which can lead to: Lower IQ, dental fluorosis, thyroid disease.
- Bromite (found in our food supply, particularly in products made from brominated flour such as bread, pasta, and cereal) produces brominated halogen which binds to iodine and leaches it out.
- Chlorine derivative-pesticides
Part of my study was to analyze my intake of iodine.
According to RDA and SONA, based on my age and gender, I need 150 mcg/day of iodine.
Many of the food rich in iodine provide a few micrograms of this nutrient and I would have to eat a whole lot of those ingredients to meet the recommended amount.
The following is the amount of micrograms I received from the kind of foods I ate during that one day of analysis.
1 cup of Yogurt gave me 35 mcg
2 eggs gave me 47 mcg
3 scallops gave me 135 mcg
½ teaspoon of sea vegetable in my miso soup gave me 325 mcg of iodine!!!!
The sea vegetables, the mere ½ teaspoon of it, accounted for about 60% of my iodine intake that day.
Even if I ate more than what is RDA’s recommended amount, I wasn’t worried about overdosing on iodine because I consumed this form of iodine in a whole food form and I do not have thyroid issues.
Here is an easy to make, delicious Miso recipe. Remember that the Japanese eat this food on a daily basis. I understand why now.
Please comment below and let me know if this article was helpful. Your feedback is super important to me.
Disclaimer: Any advice given should never be used as a substitute for the medical advice from your own doctor. Always consult your own health care practitioner or General Practitioner (GP) if you are concerned about your health.
References:
- Mateljan, George. “Part 7.” The World’s Healthiest Foods: Essential Guide for the Healthiest Way of Eating. Seattle, WA: George Mateljan Foundation, 2006. 760-61
- McGuire, Michelle, and Kathy A. Beerman. “10.” Nutritional Sciences: From Fundamentals to Food. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. 567-70.
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