Iodine protects the thyroid gland from radiation
damage.
But not all the iodine available is the same.
You may have heard about Iodine from the media
reporting on Japan's nuclear catastrophe and the fear that winds
or rain could spread radiation around the world as happened in
the Chernobyl disaster in 1986. I remember this well as we were
living on North Wales in the UK at the time, where so much radioactive
rain fell that the sheep became radioactive.
FACTS TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND THE NEED FOR IODINE AND YOUR CHOICES
What is iodine?
Iodine is a basic element or mineral that doctors
realized over 100 years ago was critical to human health.
We now know we cannot live without it and deficiency
is a contributory factor in many disease. They also realized that
it is a rare mineral (47th in abundance) and it was missing in
the average diet due to shortages in the soil and industrialized
farming methods and it has only got worse in the junk industrialized
food culture.
The form of iodine we should be ingesting should
be Organic Iodine which is only available in the diet through
seaweed like kelp and some seafoods.
How is organic iodine different than
iodine?
The mineral, iodine is highly poisonous as basic
element and it takes only three grains to kill you. When a plant
absorbs iodine (or any minerals) from the soil or mineral it converts
it to an non-toxic organic form (or better described as colloidal
form). Organic (colloidal) Mineral research became popular in
the 1930's and a leading researcher, Dr Watson demonstrated drinking
a glass full of colloidal iodine to show its safety. As no land
based food containing iodine can easily be identified (even organic
foods), there is only seaweed and seafoods in high quantities
containing organic iodine.
The closest you can get to Organic Iodine is
the product Nascent Iodine Why boost your organic iodine levels
to protect against radiation? If your body does not get enough
of any mineral and in this case iodine then your body may take
in the next (available) mineral on the periodic table.
Radioactivity contains radioactive iodine and
therefore anyone deficient in iodine is at risk of absorbing this
radioactive iodine which will end up all over the body in all
of the places where iodine is used and especially the thyroid.
Radioactive Iodine has a life of 15 million years
and so supplementation is essential throughout the lives of anyone
exposed to radioactivity. Therefore the important thing is to
get iodine into your body in a safe supplement form. This does
not have to be "potassium iodide" if there is a safer
supplement is available. It can also be in the form of Nascent
Iodine, which is a high-quality iodine supplement that has been
available in the natural product marketplace for several years.
(Do NOT drink topical antiseptic iodine products as they may be
toxic). To protect against radioactive contamination take 10-drops
of Nascent Iodine 4 times per day.
What is iodine used for in the body
normally?
Symptoms of iodine deficiency include:
Muscle cramps,
Cold hands and feet,
Proneness to weight gain,
Poor memory,
Constipation,
Depression and headaches,
Edema,
Myalgia,
Weakness,
Dry skin and brittle nails,
Selenium deficiency - Iodine is essential for utilization of selenium,
Fluoride poisoning - If iodine not in the diet then fluoride will
be absorbed.
Iodine deficiency has been linked to:
Hypothyroid
Breast and other Cancers
Fatigue
Fibrocystic Breasts
Graves Disease
Hashimotos's Disease
Immune dysfunction
ADHD
Mental Retardation - The prime cause is iodine deficiency.
Please contact for a full plan for the above problems before taking
iodine
It is also essential as a co-factor for the proper
use of another critical trace mineral called selenium which is
also no longer in the food chain and needs supplementation.
Do I need take iodine supplements daily?
The simple answer is yes. It is highly likely
that everyone, including and especially children, need to take
an iodine supplement. Doctors insisted on governments ensuring
iodine supplementation over 100 years ago for every member of
the public which is why potassium iodide was added to sodium to
make table salt. Now doctors are aware of just how bad table salt
(inc. the junk salt added to processed foods) is and are quite
rightly telling their patients to STOP consuming this junk table
salt. Even the best, sea-salt, rock salt and the latest craze,
Himalayan Rock salt, do not have sufficient organic iodine to
ensure good health. Seaweeds and sea food may have enough but
you would need to check and make sure you were eating the correct
levels.
Will taking iodine interfere with the drugs I am taking for my
thyroid?
It is highly likely that those taking an iodine
supplement or eating high levels of certain seafoods may need
to lower the use of thyroid drugs. They therefore need to seek
advice on how to measure the suitability of these drugs.
Sources for Iodine
Seaweed (kelp and Kombu) up to one oz daily
for normal supplementation and normally and up to 3 ounces in
emergencies, dried Variable; may be greater than 18,000 mcg (18
mg) per ounce.
Remember: Iodine is a mineral that is critical to your families
good health and is not normally in todays diet.
 |
Kelp is used to describe a number of
brownish-green seaweed species. As a rich source of the
trace mineral iodine; kelp is often used to help maintain
normal thyroid function. Kelp tablets are available in
15mg capsules.
|
Holland
& Barrett is the UK's leading retailer of vitamins, minerals
and herbal supplements.
Interest in natural food supplements has increased considerably
over the last few years and Holland & Barrett has always had
a commitment to its customers to provide high quality products
at value for money prices.
iodine
What can high-iodine foods do for you?
Help ensure proper thyroid gland functioning
What events can indicate a need for more high-iodine foods?
Goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland)
Fatigue
Weakness
Depression
Weight gain
Concentrated food sources of iodine include sea vegetables, yogurt,
cow's milk, eggs, strawberries and mozzarella cheese. Fish and
shellfish can also be concentrated sources of iodine.
For serving size for specific foods, see Nutrient
Rating Chart below at the bottom of this page.
Description
Function
Deficiency Symptoms
Toxicity Symptoms
Cooking, storage and processing
Factors that affect function
Drug-nutrient interaction
Nutrient interaction
Health conditions
Supplements
Food Sources
Public Recommendations
References
Description
What is Iodine?
If you backpack in the mountains, you may have
used iodine tablets to purify your drinking water. Or, perhaps
you've used an iodine-based disinfectant to clean a minor skin
wound. But did you know that iodine is essential to life?
Iodine, a trace mineral, is required by the body
for the synthesis of the thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and
triiodothyronine (T3). (T4 contains 4 iodine atoms. When one of
the iodine atoms is stripped off of T4, it becomes T3, with 3
iodine atoms remaining.)
Under normal circumstances, your body contains
approximately 20 to 30 mg of iodine, most of which is stored in
your thyroid gland, located in the front of your neck, just under
your voice box. Smaller amounts of iodine are also found in lactating
mammary glands, the stomach lining, salivary glands, and in the
blood.
How it Functions
What is the function of iodine?
As a component of the thyroid hormones thyroxine
(T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), iodine is essential to human life.
Without sufficient iodine, your body is unable to synthesize these
hormones, and because the thyroid hormones regulate metabolism
in every cell of the body and play a role in virtually all physiological
functions, an iodine deficiency can have a devastating impact
on your health and well-being.
Regulating thyroid hormones
The synthesis of thyroid hormones is tightly
controlled. When the amount of thyroid hormone in your blood drops,
the pituitary gland secretes a hormone called thyroid-stimulating
hormone (TSH). As its name suggests, TSH then stimulates the thyroid
gland to increase its uptake of iodine from the blood, so that
more thyroxine (T4) can be synthesized. When necessary, thyroxine
is then converted to the metabolically active triiodothyronine
(T3), a process that involves removing one iodine atom from T4.
Several other physiological functions for iodine
have been suggested. Iodine may help inactivate bacteria, hence
its use as a skin disinfectant and in water purification. Iodine
may also play a role in the prevention of fibrocystic breast disease,
a condition characterized by painful swelling in the breasts,
by modulating the effect of the hormone estrogen on breast tissue.
Finally, researchers hypothesize that iodine deficiency impairs
the function of the immune system and that adequate iodine is
necessary to prevent miscarriages.
Deficiency Symptoms
What are deficiency symptoms for iodine?
In the early part of the 20th century, iodine
deficiency was quite common in the United States and Canada. However,
this problem has since been almost completely resolved by the
use of iodized salt. In addition, iodine is now added to animal
feed, which has increased the iodine content of commonly consumed
foods, including cow's milk.
Unfortunately, in countries where iodized salt
is not commonly consumed, iodine deficiency remains a signficant
problem. Dietary deficiency of this vital mineral results in decreased
synthesis of thyroid hormone.
Goiter, or enlargement of the thyroid gland,
is usually the earliest visible symptom of iodine deficiency.
(Goiter can occur for many other reasons as well, but iodine deficiency
is among the most common causes worldwide.) The enlargement of
the thyroid results from overstimulation of the thyroid gland
by thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), as the body attempts to
produce increased amounts of thyroid hormone.
Goiter is more common in certain geographical
areas of the world where iodine is lacking in the diet and where
selenium is lacking in the soil. (Selenium is directly involved
with certain activities of the thyroid gland.)
Iodine deficiency may eventually lead to hypothyroidism,
which causes a variety of symptoms including fatigue, weight gain,
weakness and/or depression. Interestingly, iodine deficiency can
also cause hyperthyroidism, a condition characterized by weight
loss, rapid heart beat, and appetite fluctations.
Severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy or
infancy causes cretinism, a condition characterized by hypothyroidism
leading to failure of the thyroid gland and/or severe mental retardation,
stunted physical growth, deafness, and spasticity. If discovered
in its initial stages, cretinism can be corrected with iodine
supplementation.
Toxicity Symptoms
What are toxicity symptoms for iodine?
Accidental overdose of iodine from medications
or supplements in amounts exceeding one gram may cause burning
in the mouth, throat and stomach and/or abdominal pain, nausea,
vomiting, dirarrhea, weak pulse, and coma.
It is difficult to take in too much iodine from
food sources alone. It is estimated that men and women consume
at most 300 mcg and 210 mcg of iodine per day, respectively. In
general, even high intakes of iodine from food are well-tolerated
by most people.
However, in certain circumstances, excessive
consumption of iodine can actually inhibit the synthesis of thyroid
hormones, thereby leading to the development of goiter (enlargement
of the thyroid gland) and hypothyroidism. Excessive iodine intake
may also cause hyperthyroidism, thyroid papillary cancer, and/or
iodermia (a serious skin reaction).
In an attempt to prevent these symptoms of iodine
toxicity, the Institute of Medicine established the following
Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (TUL) for iodine:
Severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy or
infancy causes cretinism, a condition characterized by hypothyroidism
leading to failure of the thyroid gland and/or severe mental retardation,
stunted physical growth, deafness, and spasticity. If discovered
in its initial stages, cretinism can be corrected with iodine
supplementation.
Toxicity Symptoms
What are toxicity symptoms for iodine?
Accidental overdose of iodine from medications
or supplements in amounts exceeding one gram may cause burning
in the mouth, throat and stomach and/or abdominal pain, nausea,
vomiting, dirarrhea, weak pulse, and coma.
It is difficult to take in too much iodine from
food sources alone. It is estimated that men and women consume
at most 300 mcg and 210 mcg of iodine per day, respectively. In
general, even high intakes of iodine from food are well-tolerated
by most people.
However, in certain circumstances, excessive
consumption of iodine can actually inhibit the synthesis of thyroid
hormones, thereby leading to the development of goiter (enlargement
of the thyroid gland) and hypothyroidism. Excessive iodine intake
may also cause hyperthyroidism, thyroid papillary cancer, and/or
iodermia (a serious skin reaction).
In an attempt to prevent these symptoms of iodine
toxicity, the Institute of Medicine established the following
Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (TUL) for iodine:
What factors might contribute to a deficiency
of iodine?
Since absorption of iodine from the digestive
tract is very thorough, deficiency of iodine typically occurs
from too little intake of iodine-containing foods. However, there
has been some controversy surrounding the impact of diet not on
iodine absorption, but on iodine utilization by the thyroid gland.
Since the thyroid requires iodine to make thyroid hormones, this
utilization is essential. Two groups of substances found in food
- isoflavones, most commonly found in soy foods, and thiocyanates,
most commonly produced in the body from glucosinolates found in
cruciferous vegetables like broccoli - have been shown to interfere
with iodine utilization by the thyroid gland, but only under very
specific circumstances. These circumstances involve simultaneous
dietary deficiency of iodine or selenium (or both) and imbalanced
overall dietary intake. We're not aware of any evidence showing
problems with iodine metabolism by the thyroid gland when either
soy foods or cruciferous vegetables are eaten in moderate amounts
in an overall balanced diet that also contains appropriate amounts
of iodine and selenium. Since soy foods and cruciferous vegetables
provide so many well-documented health benefits, we do not believe
there is ordinarily any reason to eliminate these foods from the
diet for iodine-related reasons. However, for individuals with
a history of thyroid problems, poor dietary balance and deficient
intake of iodine and/or selenium, we recommend consultation with
a healthcare provider to decide about the role of these foods
in health support.
Drug-Nutrient Interactions
What medications affect iodine?
Amiodarone, a drug most commonly sold under the
brand name Cordarone (TM), is sometimes used to treat irregular
heart beat. This medication contains iodine and can disrupt proper
thyroid function.
Similarly, erythrosine, a red coloring agent
commonly used in foods and medications, also contains significant
amounts of iodine and may also impact thyroid activity.
Nutrient Interactions
How do other nutrients interact with iodine?
The conversion of thyroxine (T4) to triiodthyronine
(T3) requires the removal of an iodine molecule from T4. This
reaction requires the mineral selenium. The iodine molecule that
is removed gets returned to the body's pool of iodine and can
be reused to make additional thyroid hormones.
If your body is deficient in selenium, the conversion
of T4 to T3 is slowed, and less iodine is available for the thryoid
to use in making new hormones.
Animal studies have shown that arsenic interferes
with the uptake of iodine by the thyroid, leading to goiter. In
addition, dietary deficiency of vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc and/or
iron can exaggerate the effects of iodine deficiency.
Health Conditions
What health conditions require special emphasis
on iodine?
Iodine may play a role in the prevention and/or
treatment of the following health conditions:
Cognitive impairment
Cretinism
Fibrocystic breast disease
Goiter
Hyperthyroidism
Hypothyroidism
Multiple miscarriages
Form in Dietary Supplements
What forms of iodine are found in dietary supplements?
The elemental form of iodine is available in
dietary supplements as iodine caseinate and in products that contain
kelp. Many supplements contain iodine complexed with potassium
or sodium, called potassium iodide or sodium iodide, respectively.
Food Sources
What foods provide iodine?
The amount of iodine found in most natural foods
is typically quite small and varies depending on environmental
factors such as the soil concentration of iodine and the use of
fertilizers. Some of the richest food sources of iodine are often
processed foods that contain iodized salt, and breads that contain
iodate dough conditioners.
Sea vegetables are an excellent source of iodine.
Yogurt, cow's milk, eggs, and strawberries are very good sources
of idone. Good sources include mozzarella cheese.
Fish and shellfish require their own special
category when it comes to iodine content, because the amount of
iodine they contain is not always easy to predict. For example,
the amount of iodine found in fish may not match up very predictably
with the amount found in their home waters, or even with their
diet. Four ounces of very low iodine fish might only provide about
70 micrograms of iodine, or less than half of the adult RDA. By
contrast, four ounces of very high iodine fish might contain as
much as 1,000 micrograms of iodine - an amount just below the
Tolerable Upper Limit (UL, or safety level) of 1,100 micrograms.
Due to the great variability in fish iodine content,
and the relative lack of good information for consumers to base
their nutritional decisions in this area, we would not recommend
reliance on fish alone to provide all of your dietary iodine needs.
However, you can count on getting iodine from most fish, and on
any one particular day, we would recommend thinking about a 4-6
ounce fish meal serving as providing at least 50% of your iodine
needs. Conversely, if you are trying to greatly restrict your
iodine intake, you might want to eat fish on a less frequent basis
to lower your risk of iodine intake above the RDA level.
Introduction to Nutrient Rating System Chart
In order to better help you identify foods that
feature a high concentration of nutrients for the calories they
contain, we created a Food Rating System. This system allows us
to highlight the foods that are especially rich in particular
nutrients. The following chart shows the World's Healthiest Foods
that are either an excellent, very good, or good source of iodine.
Next to each food name, you'll find the serving size we used to
calculate the food's nutrient composition, the calories contained
in the serving, the amount of iodine contained in one serving
size of the food, the percent Daily Value (DV%) that this amount
represents, the nutrient density that we calculated for this food
and nutrient, and the rating we established in our rating system.
For most of our nutrient ratings, we adopted the government standards
for food labeling that are found in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's
"Reference Values for Nutrition Labeling." Read more
background information and details of our rating system.
World's Healthiest Foods ranked as quality sources of:
iodine
Food Serving
Size Cals Amount
(mcg) DV
(%) Nutrient
Density World's
Healthiest
Foods Rating
Kelp (sea vegetable) 0.25 cup 8.6 415.00 276.7 579.1 excellent
Yogurt, low-fat 1 cup 155.1 87.22 58.1 6.8 very good
Cow's milk, 2% 1 cup 121.2 58.56 39.0 5.8 very good
Egg, whole, boiled 1 each 68.2 23.76 15.8 4.2 very good
Strawberries 1 cup 43.2 12.96 8.6 3.6 very good
Mozzarella cheese, part-skim, shredded 1 oz-wt 72.1 10.09 6.7
1.7 good
World's Healthiest
Foods Rating Rule
excellent DV>=75% OR Density>=7.6 AND DV>=10%
very good DV>=50% OR Density>=3.4 AND DV>=5%
good DV>=25% OR Density>=1.5 AND DV>=2.5%
Public Health Recommendations
What are current public health recommendations
for iodine?
In 2000, the Institute of Medicine at the National
Academy of Sciences developed new Dietary Reference Intakes for
iodine. Adequate Intakes were established for children up to one
year old, and Recommended Dietary Allowances were determined for
all people over one year old. These recommendations appear below:
0-6 months: 110 mcg
7-12 months: 130 mcg
1-8 years: 90 mcg
Boys 9-13 years: 120 mcg
Girls 9-13 years: 120 mcg
Boys 14-18 years: 150 mcg
Girls 14-18 years: 150 mcg
Men 19 years and older: 150 mcg
Women 19 years and older: 150 mcg
Pregnant women 14 years and older: 220 mcg
Lactating women 14 years and older: 290 mcg
In an attempt to prevent these symptoms of iodine toxicity, the
Institute of Medicine established the following Tolerable Upper
Intake Levels (UL) for iodine:
1-3 years: 900 mcg
4-8 years: 300 mcg
9-13 years: 600 mcg
14-18 years: 900 mcg
19 years and older: 1,100 mcg
Pregnant women 14-18 years: 900 mcg
Pregnant women 19 years and older: 1,100 mcg
Lactating women 14-18 years: 900 mcg
Lactating women 19 years and older: 1,100 mcg
For more details on this, see the Toxicity Symptoms section above.
References
Delange F. The role of iodine in brain development.
Proc Nutr Soc 2000 Feb;59(1):75-9 2000. PMID:15560.
Dunn JT, Dunn AD. Update on intrathyroidal iodine metabolism.
Thyroid 2001 May;11(5):407-14 2001. PMID:15530.
Feldt-Rasmussen U. Iodine and cancer. Thyroid 2001 May;11(5):483-6
2001. PMID:15510.
Groff JL, Gropper SS, Hunt SM. Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism.
West Publishing Company, New York, 1995 1995.
Institute of Medicine. Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A,
Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese,
Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc. National Academy
Press: Washington DC, 2001 2001.
Lininger SW, et al. A-Z guide to drug-herb-vitamin interactions.
Prima Health, Rocklin, CA, 2000 2000.
Mahan K, Escott-Stump S. Krause's Food, Nutrition, and Diet Therapy.
WB Saunders Company; Philadelphia, 1996 1996.
Rasmussen LB, Ovesen L, Bulow I et al. Relations between various
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and serum thyroglobulin. Am J Clin Nutr 2002 Nov;76(5):1069-76
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Roti E, Uberti ED. Iodine excess and hyperthyroidism. Thyroid
2001 May;11(5):493-500 2001. PMID:15500.
Ruwhof C, Drexhage HA. Iodine and thyroid autoimmune disease in
animal models. Thyroid 2001 May;11(5):427-36 2001. PMID:15520.
Spitzweg C, Heufelder AE, Morris JC. Thyroid iodine transport.
Thyroid 2000 Apr;10(4):321-30 2000. PMID:15570.
Venturi S, Donati FM, Venturi A, et al. Role of iodine in evolution
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