Today I’m going to talk about why most people are iodine deficient. As you learned in the previous post, most people do need iodine supplementation. However, I feel it is important to understand why people are deficient, so that they can avoid those factors that have led to this deficiency in the first place.
For example, when I spoke about Vitamin D deficiency in a previous post, I explained that a big reason why most people are deficient in Vitamin D is because they avoid the sun, or constantly put on sunscreen when they are in the sun. With regards to getting enough iodine, it’s not as “simple” as getting sun exposure, as this is not a mineral that your body manufacturers.
Dr. David Brownstein, author of the book “Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It”, states that “Approximately 1.5 billion people, about one-third of the earth’s population, live in an area of iodine deficiency as defined by the World Health Organization”. And even though iodine is added to the salt supply, which can help prevent conditions such as goiter, it is inadequate to prevent an iodine deficiency.
In his book, Dr. Brownstein talks about three main reasons behind the iodine deficiency:
1) Due to poor farming techniques, deficiencies of iodine and other minerals in the soil have increased. So crops grown in iodine-deficient soil will be deficient in iodine.
2) Exposure to certain chemicals that inhibit iodine binding in the body (bromide, fluoride, chloride) – bromine replaced iodine in the baking industry as a dough conditioner. Bromine can also bind to iodine receptors in the breast and is a known carcinogen to the breast.
3) Percholate contamination of our water supply: excess percholate levels can also displace iodine and damage the transport of iodine into the cell.
Dr. Brownstein has tested iodine levels in nearly 5,000 individuals. Approximately 96% of his patients test low for iodine. Other doctors he knows have tested over 30,000 people (Dr. Jorge Flechas and Charles Hakala), and their results are consistent with his.
As for how much iodine you should take, he mentions that “The required daily intake of iodine necessary for maintaining iodine sufficiency for the whole body is at least 13mg per day”. However, for someone who is iodine deficient, they may need more than this, and he says that some people with an iodine deficiency may need up to 50mg of iodine daily.
I realize I’ve spoken a great deal about iodine deficiency in recent posts and how it can cause the development of an autoimmune thyroid disorder. While you can expect me to discuss more about iodine in the future, I promise I’ll move onto other topics next week. I just wanted you to understand how important iodine is, and when I use two or more posts to discuss a certain topic, such as a deficiency of iodine or Vitamin D, I hope you realize I’m doing this because I feel it is extremely important information that is essential to restore your health back to normal.
Because while there are many different factors that can cause Graves’ Disease and Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, correcting certain nutritional deficiencies plays a big role in the recovery process. And once you overcome such deficiencies, it’s important to regularly monitor these levels (at least once or twice a year) and do what you can to maintain sufficient levels of these nutrients.
So I’ll conclude this post by reminding you to get an iodine loading test (visit www.hakalalabs.com), and if it is determined that you are iodine deficient, do what is necessary to correct this deficiency.
Hi,
yu are talking abou microgrames or miligrames ?
kind regards !
Hello,
I’m referring to milligrams
Dr. Eric
is it possible to take iodine when someone suffers from Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. The `doctor` told my girlfriend she had to stay away from iodine with this condition. Could you please share your opinion about this.
Hello,
Although many people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis are iodine deficient, it is true that someone with this condition should not take iodine until they eliminate the autoimmune response. So the doctor was correct, although once the autoimmune response has been eliminated the person can take iodine.
Dr. Eric
Hello Dr. Eric
I really appreciate your site and the detailed info you are giving to the public. I am a G.P. trying to find out more about Iodine deficiency and related Thyroid problems and how to address them naturally.
Could you please refer me to your article or comments about the mentioned Iodine loading protocol that you have used for your condition.
Is this protocol also useful for mild iodine deficiency ?
I am experiening Hypothyroid symptoms for some time, and according to my ‘patch test’ I am ‘mildly deficient’ (patch disappears after about 14hrs). I have started on Iodine supplements (Lugols topically and Kelp
150 mcg) daily. Its still early (only day 3) but I seem to be feeling some improvements already, although I wonder if this is a placebo effect.
What is your opinion about substituting Iodine deficiency with Lugols solution, also taken internally.
thanks for you input
Regards
Matthias, Dr.Matti
Hi Dr. Matti,
Thanks for your kind comments. I have made a few other posts on this blog about iodine, but I do highly recommend that you read the book I spoke about by Dr. David Brownstein, as it will give you most of the information you want about iodine. I think Lugols solution is okay, and definitely can help with an iodine deficiency. I personally took a product called Prolamine Iodine from Standard Process, beginning with one tablet daily for one week, and then increasing by one tablet daily each week. Once I built up the dosage I switched to a product called iodoral, taking a 12.5 mg tablet 2x/day.
I hope this helps,
Dr. Eric
Why do you not recommend iodine for autoimmune diseases? From what I have read, thyroid hormone is necessary to convert the inactive form of vitamin D to the active form. The inability to convert is characteristic of autoimmune or chronic conditions, as I understand it. Feel free to email an answer to me if you like. Thank you.
Hi Diana,
I actually do recommend iodine for people with Graves’ Disease, as well as other autoimmune conditions. As for people with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, these people usually need to be careful with taking iodine. This doesn’t mean it can’t be done, but if they don’t do anything to address the autoimmune response while taking iodine then they frequently will feel worse. For some reason this doesn’t seem to be the case with people with Graves’ Disease. Of course people should first be tested to confirm that they have an iodine deficiency. But I definitely agree with you that people with autoimmune conditions can benefit from taking iodine.