Health – Iodine – getting the balance right

Iodine has been described as one of the most misunderstood and feared of all the elements necessary for human health. My interest in iodine began when I discovered that I was low in the nutrient. After a few months of taking an iodine supplement a large wart on my hand dropped off and all the little warts on my knee disappeared. The wart on my hand had been resistant to all sorts of other treatments and had been growing at a steady rate. As warts are a virus, I was reluctant to have it burned off as it wouldn’t stop more warts growing. Since using iodine, the warts never returned (this was well over five years ago).

Iodine certainly is misunderstood. Perhaps the biggest area of uncertainty is around the RDI (Recommended Daily Intake). The current accepted RDI for iodine in NZ is 150 micrograms (0.15mg). Compare this to the average daily intake for a typical Japanese seaside villager which is estimated at 12mg (80 times more than our RDI). More recent research showed that the intake of an average Japanese citizen may be around 3mg (still 20 times NZ’s RDI). Many authorities on the subject recommend 12mg as a more realistic idea of RDI.

The known issues of iodine deficiency such as breast cysts and breast cancer and prostate cancer, are much lower in the Japanese compared to people in countries where iodine intake is very low.
Like all minerals in human biology, the critical factor is balance. Obviously having too much iodine is also a problem and it can be toxic. Typically, the first sign of having too much iodine may be skin lesions, a brassy taste in the mouth, a runny nose and development of a goitre (overgrowth of the thyroid, which can also happen with an iodine deficiency). To absorb iodine there need to be trace minerals available. The most critical being selenium – another mineral that NZ soils are very low in – about 150 mcg of this are needed daily.

When it comes to supplementation everyone is different and iodine supplementation must be done carefully if there is any previous thyroid disease or issues. The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped endocrine gland at the base of your neck. The job of the thyroid is to regulate the body’s metabolism. The thyroid is mainly made up of iodine so having adequate levels of this mineral is critical.
Iodine is anti-bacterial, anti-parasitic, anti-cancer and anti-viral. There are also strong links to cyst formation and breast tumours with iodine, as well as mental retardation, ADHD and multiple sclerosis. While our soils are iodine deficient, our seafood is not. Seaweed (such as kelp) is the highest source of iodine in NZ and is a very good way to supplement. While there is plenty of controversy around what the RDI should be, in clinic I have seen many more patients with iodine deficiency compared to the two who couldn’t take it.