iodine and thyroid

[MWalters]

Beware supplements with iodine. I am a thyroid cancer survivor who had half of my thyroid removed and recently started taking a supplement that had seaweed in it. At my annual thyroid check up (just a few weeks after starting the supplement) my blood work and thyroid function had changed. My doctor told me to stop taking the supplement or any supplement with iodine and redo the blood work in two months. She said American diet has plenty of iodine in it.

[country76]

Thank you for the info. I had thyroid cancer too resulting in my whole thyroid removal. I am careful taking supplements and google possible drug interactions.

It was so nice in my younger pill free days. The only thing I worried about was my hair! lol Now I can't eat certain foods and careful what supplements and meds I take. I didn't appreciate the freedom I had.

[The-Man-with-a-Plan]

Is regular salt iodized?

Table salt is the granulated white salt seen in most saltshakers. Table salt is typically mined from underground deposits. It's processed to remove other minerals. Table salt is commonly fortified with iodine, which is important for thyroid health.

[Vlaminck in reply to The-Man-with-a-Plan]

i am using the old morton iodized salt -- been on the shelves since I was a child, I believe, so assuming it's not a hazard?

[The-Man-with-a-Plan in reply to Vlaminck]

That's what I've used for years and years. I was never told NOT to use iodized salt by my Hem/Onc or my GP. That said, I've never had thyroid cancer. I do have a problem with my thyroid (hypothyroidism) and take levothyroxine daily.

[Vlaminck]

Thank you for sharing your experience and I am going to take a second look at my multivitamins. I am a bit puzzled at your doc's statement that American diet is full of iodine. Like from where? Someone who eats a lot of seafood or kelp maybe. I don't. Just looked up and dairy has some. I eat dairy though trying to cut it out/down. NIH speaks approvingly of iodized salt which, it says, is used by 88% of households. And vegans are very likely to be deficient, again according to NIH.

[LeoPa in reply to Vlaminck]

There's more than one thing vegans can be deficient in. Before anybody decides to take up a vegan lifestyle he should study the whole thing extensively. It's not easy as "from today I quit eating everything of animal origin". A lot of knowledge is needed to do it right. And lots of people will find that if they want to do it right they simply cannot do it.

By the way this for the girls. I read somewhere that overly sensitive nipples are a sign of iodine deficiency. So if you don't like when your loved one touches you there check whether you are not deficient in iodine.

[AussieNeil Administrator in reply to Vlaminck]

MWalters, as Vlaminck indicates, your doctor probably shouldn't have made that generalised statement about the American diet, because iodine levels vary with the soil, hence influencing levels found in the food grown in those soils. Iodine in dairy foods mainly comes from iodine used to sterilise milking equipment. Glaciated soils are poorer in iodine and that can cause a range of serious developmental disorders. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

In Australia, that impacted Tasmanians and an Australian researcher, Basil Hetzel, did some of the early, ground breaking research into the influence of iodine on human health. Getting the balance right is important. Too much iodine and there's a risk of thyrotoxicosis — hyperthyroidism caused by excessive hormone production.

Neil

[craterlake in reply to AussieNeil]

Neil , thanks for posting a fact check to Mwalters doctors inaccurate statement . blessings , james