How Much Iodine Do You Need?

 Guide

What Is Iodized Salt?

Benefits of Iodized Salt to Your Health

Health Risks of Iodized Salt Deficiency

How Much Iodine Do You Need?

Iodized salt is salt that contains small amounts of sodium iodide or potassium iodide. It's normal salt that has been sprayed with potassium iodate. It looks and tastes the same! The majority of table salt used nowadays is iodized, and it comes with many benefits. 

Benefits of Iodized Salt to Your Health

Iodized salt is essential for your health, but you should have it in moderation. Iodine is a trace mineral common in dairy products, seafood, grains, and eggs. People combine iodine with table salt to reduce iodine deficiency. There are many other health benefits to using iodized salt in your diet, as well.  

Boosts thyroid function. Your thyroid gland relies on iodine to increase the production of thyroid hormones, like triiodothyronine and thyroxine. These hormones are vital to your health, as they regulate blood pressure, body temperature, and heart rate. Proper bone and brain development in pregnancy and infancy are also dependent on these thyroid hormones. Lacking iodine in your diet may also cause enlargement of your thyroid gland. This condition is called goiter.

Keeps weight under control. Your metabolism is directly affected by the healthiness of your thyroid. When you have a super high metabolism, you might not gain a healthy weight. Slower metabolism allows the body to store more fat, thus leading you to gain weight. Since your thyroid depends on a healthy dose of iodine to perform its duty, your metabolism also depends on your iodine levels.

Supports a healthy pregnancy. Not only does iodized salt assist in bone and brain development, it can also help combat cretinism, which affects both the mental and physical growth of the unborn child. After birth, cretinism may lead to loss of speech and hearing as well as affect a child's body movements. A balanced iodine level in pregnant women can also help prevent miscarriages and hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism happens when the body can't make enough thyroid hormones. Any problems with the thyroid gland can start or worsen during pregnancy, and can often be helped by raising iodine levels. 

Removes toxins and prevents bacteria. Iodized salt has a counter effect on harmful metals like mercury and lead. It acts to repel these toxins and restore the right pH level in your body. Iodized salt also helps prevent harmful bacteria from multiplying in the intestines. Research shows that harmful bacteria can cause fatigue, constipation, and headaches.

Promotes heart health and keeps you hydrated. Iodized salt helps create the hormones that regulate heart rate and blood pressure. It also helps to burn extra fat deposits that could lead to heart disease. Salt promotes healthy hydration levels and creates a balance of electrolytes. This balance is crucial for the proper functioning of the cells, muscles, tissues, and organs. All the body components require water to function, and salt helps maintain the proper water levels. Dehydration makes you more prone to dizziness, fatigue, and muscle cramps.

Health Risks of Iodized Salt Deficiency

Not having enough iodine amounts can lead to severe health conditions including:

●Impaired fetal and infant development

●Difficulty in learning during childhood

●Fibrocystic breast disease

●Radiation-induced throat cancer

●Hair loss

●Fatigue

●Goiter

●Weight gain

●Increased sensitivity to cold

●Dry skin

How Much Iodine Do You Need?

The amount of iodine you should consume in a day depends on your age. If you are female, pregnancy and breastfeeding also play a crucial role. Here are the recommended amounts of iodine one should take in a day:

●Birth to six months: 110 micrograms

●Infants 7 to 12 months: 130 micrograms

●Children 1 to 8 years: 90 micrograms

●9 to 13 years: 120 micrograms

●Teens 14 to 18 years: 150 micrograms

●Adults: 150 micrograms

●Pregnant women: 220 micrograms

●Breast feeding women: 290 micrograms

Do not consume salt in high amounts as it can pose a danger to your health.

Iodine, which can be added to table salt, is an essential mineral found naturally in soil and the ocean.

It’s critical at every stage of life and has a precise role, so it’s important to get enough iodine without overdoing it.

What does iodine do for your body?

Iodine, also called iodide, helps your body develop and function throughout your entire life, starting in fetal development. It can also help treat or prevent some sicknesses and diseases.

1. Supports thyroid health

Your thyroid hormones are essential for overall health. They help regulate:

●Body temperature.

●Brain development and mental activity.

●Breathing.

●Heart health.

●Metabolism and digestion.

But your body can’t make thyroid hormones without iodine. The amount of iodine in your system can affect how much thyroid hormone your thyroid produces.

Your thyroid gland, part of your endocrine system, traps iodine in your system and turns it into thyroid hormones. If your body makes too much of the hormone (hyperthyroidism) or too little (hypothyroidism), it can affect critical bodily functions.

If you develop thyroid disease or thyroid cancer, iodine can help in a few ways:

Lowers the risk of goiters

Sometimes, thyroid disease or noncancerous thyroid cysts can cause a goiter (enlarged thyroid gland). Goiters are more likely to develop if you live with an uncontrolled thyroid condition or have an iodine deficiency. Iodine helps regulate your thyroid and reduce the risk of goiters.

Manages hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)

Too much thyroid hormone can speed up body processes, causing:

●Irregular periods.

●Rapid heartbeat (palpitations).

●Sleep issues.

●Weight loss.

To help reduce the amount of thyroid hormone your body produces, healthcare providers may use radioactive iodine (RAI). It’s a form of iodine (prescribed in pill or liquid form) used to destroy thyroid cells so they can’t continue to take up and hold onto iodine.

Treats thyroid cancer

RAI therapy can treat certain types of thyroid cancer. It’s commonly used following surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells and thyroid tissue. RAI therapy tends to be most successful when used to treat thyroid cancer that has spread beyond the thyroid.

2. Promotes brain development before and after birth

Thyroid hormones support brain development and function throughout life, beginning in utero, when a fetus is developing during pregnancy. Having enough iodine to make enough thyroid hormones is critical.

Women who are pregnant, planning to become pregnant or breastfeeding (chestfeeding) should take a prenatal multivitamin containing 150 micrograms (mcg) of iodine. But not all prenatal vitamins contain iodine.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women should consume almost double the amount of iodine to provide enough for themselves and healthy fetal development. Without it, there is a higher risk for neurological disability and issues with growth and sexual development.

Infants are also at risk for iodine deficiency, especially if exclusively breastfed. Breast milk contains iodine, but the amount that ends up in the breast milk depends on how much the person breastfeeding consumes.

3. Helps maintain cognitive function in childhood

If your child is a picky eater or eats a restricted diet, make sure they’re getting enough iodine. Not getting enough can affect how their thinking and reasoning skills develop.

There’s no evidence that not getting enough iodine here or there has neurological effects. But going a long time without getting the necessary iodine can affect their continuing brain development.

Children with an ongoing moderate to severe deficiency may have reduced intelligence compared with children receiving enough iodine.

4. Treats and prevents fibrocystic breasts

Fibrocystic breast change is a noncancerous condition that causes painful breast lumps and tenderness. It affects 50% of women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) during reproductive age, and may increase the risk of breast cancer.

Experts recognize iodine deficiency as a possible factor causing fibrocystic breasts. One older study reported that iodine therapy can help relieve the symptoms of fibrocystic breast changes.

5. Disinfects skin wounds

Iodine is available as a topical antiseptic called povidone-iodine. You put it on mild cuts, wounds and burns. It kills bacteria and helps prevent or treat infection without delaying healing.

How much iodine you need

The amount of iodine you should get daily depends on your age and condition. 

Recommended dietary allowance

● Recommended dietary allowance

110 micrograms

● Infants 7 to 12 months

Recommended dietary allowence

130 micrograms

●Children 1 to 8 years

Recommended dietary allowence

90 micrograms

●Children 9 to 13 years

Recommended dietary allowence

120 micrograms

●Teens 14 to 18 years

Recommended dietary allowence

150 micrograms

●Adults

Recommended dietary allowance

150 micrograms

●Pregnant people

Recommended dietary allowance

220 micrograms.

●Breastfeeding (chestfeeding) mothers

Recommended dietary allowance

290 micrograms.

Best iodine sources

The three most common sources of iodine include:

● Food: Iodine is found naturally in soil and the ocean, so good food sources of iodine include fish and seafood, dairy products, eggs and soy-based foods.

● Iodized salt: Iodine is commonly added to table salt, but check the label to make sure. Other types of salt aren’t typically iodized, including Fleur de sel, Himalayan salt, Kosher salt and sea salt. But don’t load up on salt to get more iodine in your diet. Too much salt can lead to lots of health issues. A healthy, balanced diet likely contains all the iodine you need.

● Dietary supplements: Multivitamins and prenatal vitamins may contain some iodine, and iodine-specific supplements are also available. Talk to your health provider before supplementing with iodine. Iodine deficiency if you are concerned, a blood test can figure out whether or not you need more iodine.

Health risks associated with iodine

Caution ⚠️ : while it’s important to get the iodine you need, you can get too much — typically, when supplements are involved. Getting too much iodine can cause:

● Goiter.

● Hyperthyroidism.

● Increased risk of thyroid inflammation and cancer.

● Iodine toxicity.

Iodine also interacts with some medications, including some:

●ACE inhibitors taken for high blood pressure.

●Antithyroid medications used to treat hyperthyroidism.

●Potassium-sparing diuretics.

The goal is always to benefit your health, not put it at risk.

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