No salt? How’s your iodine level? - Kidney Disease

Kidney Disease

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No salt? How’s your iodine level?

Momofson profile image
6 Replies

I keep reading about everyone trying to keep their salt to a minimum and that’s understandable, but does anyone worry about their iodine levels, because iodized salt is where most people get iodine, unless you are a big eater of seafood. You can take extra iodine in liquid form or kelp pills but you need to have a doctor guide you because you don’t want too much either.

Low iodine will seriously effect your thyroid, which will seriously effect your kidneys (and many other parts of your health.) Just wondering if anyone here ever had a doctor check their iodine level (best to do it in 24 hour urine test) and if so, has it been low?

I’ve never had a doctor tell my son that h was checking his iodine and when I ask for it, they think it’s ridiculous. I read a lot about health and years ago found out that low iodine is a serious problem, even in our country. Mainly because even people without kidney disease have been told that salt is the enemy. Also because many people use pink salt (very little if any iodine) and other salts without iodine. I’ve had all kinds of doctors (even nephrologist) tell me that our in country we don’t have this problem because salt is everywhere, especially in fast foods. That is a misconception because even though fast food is salty, almost all restaurants use salt without iodine. They do that because salt with iodine is more expensive and that’s one less thing they have to worry about listing on their ingredients. Don’t forget that iodine is very important to your health! Keep your thyroid functioning right and it will be good for your kidneys...there is a connection and thyroid can’t funct without enough iodine.

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Bassetmommer profile image
BassetmommerNKF Ambassador

Hi Momofson,

As much as I appreciate you concern for others, your posts about iodine and thyroid are not verified. I went looking to see what was out there in the University of Google and found information to the contrary about excessive iodine and salt and the impact on the kidney. I am not looking to argue with you, just want to make sure that what we say here is accurate. I try to use evidence based information or sanctioned web sites when I can.

First of all, excessive iodine is very harmful to the kidney. ”It suggests that excessive iodine can cause damage not only to thyroid, but to the whole body.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/938...

Does thyroid disease harm kidneys or does CKD harm thyroid function? : “The interplay between thyroid and the kidney in each other's functions is known for many years.[1] Thyroid dysfunction affects renal physiology and development, whereas kidney disease could result in thyroid dysfunction. Disorders of the thyroid and kidney may co-exist with common etiological factors. In addition, treatment strategies of one disease may affect those of the other organ.” ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Saying the restaurants do not use iodized salt is your opinion. One article I found said that fast foods and processed food do not use iodized salt often. medscape.com/viewarticle/72.... But people with CKD should actually avoid consuming these products anyways because of the high salt and other chemicals/minerals in them. To say all chef’s do not use iodized salt is not possible to verify. kidney.org/atoz/content/din...

The fact is we get iodine naturally from lots of the foods we eat. “Fish (such as cod and tuna), seaweed, shrimp, and other seafood, which are generally rich in iodine. Dairy products (such as milk, yogurt, and cheese) and products made from grains (like breads and cereals), which are the major sources of iodine in American diets” ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/I...

Again, appreciate your posts, but please site your sources. I am worried people might try to add salt to their renal diet and that is very dangerous and not a good idea. actiononsalt.org.uk/salthea...

Momofson profile image
Momofson in reply toBassetmommer

You totally misrepresented everything I said. What I said was, that low salt is understandable but be careful of low iodine. I never said eat lots of salt so you can get iodine. Of course someone with kidney disease would be careful of salt and they should be! That does not mean they should forget about iodine just because they can’t have salt. I mention seafood and kelp.

My point is that it is very simple to get your iodine tested when you get a 24 hour urine, so why not do it? Many people do not eat much seafood at all and many stay away from dairy. We very much have an iodine deficiency in this country! Just like we did before iodine was added to salt. Though not as much as then. With the popularity of pink salt, doctors are seeing more goiters again and more thyroid dysfunction. Iodine deficiency is the leading cause of goiters, in every country! Did you know it’s the leading cause of mental retardation in the world? Did you know that when a woman is pregnant, her doctor will up her iodine levels and check it to make sure her baby gets enough?

I never said to eat excessive salt and I never said to take extra iodine. I specifically said to ask your doctor because too much iodine is not good either! My son has only one kidney because one was removed due to a huge tumor when he was a baby. The other kidney leaks protein. I was iodine deficient when I was young and had goiters. Probably the reason he has always had a thyroid problem and a kidney problem. Back then, no knew and pregnant mothers didn’t get any attention to their thyroids as they do now.

We have learned that when many people fix their thyroid, they stop losing protein. He will be having his thyroid removed soon because of many goiters and what looks now like cancer. We are hoping for a fix for the proteinuria after thyroid surgery.

RhenDutchess123 profile image
RhenDutchess123 in reply toMomofson

most kidney pt have parathyroid disease...the 4 rice sized glands that sit behind the thyroid...3 of mine had tumors ( non-cancer) and they removed them..leaving me with one that was perfect...it immediately stopped my bone pain..and i felt wonderful...that was 2 1/2 years ago and i still have very little bone pain...the surgeon said my thyroid was in great shape...my neph said to avoid salt ..our foods are saturated with it to begin with...and i believe him...although it may be different for a child...wishing you and your Son a safe and successful surgery

Momofson profile image
Momofson in reply toRhenDutchess123

I didn’t know about the parathyroid going bad with kidney problems. Good that you had one parathyroid left that was good. So you don’t have any low calcium problems from the 3 parathyroids being taken out? I’m worried about that with my son’s thyroid surgery because sometimes the parathyroid gets involved with removal of the thyroid.

I agree that salt is very bad for kidney patients.

RhenDutchess123 profile image
RhenDutchess123 in reply toMomofson

no problems...one is plenty...i do take a citrical time release calcium and magnesium....i stay at a perfect 9.5....my bones hurt so bad..it was 20 minute bandaid surgery ...i still cant find my scar...i woke up in recovery pain free ....Norman Parathyroid Center in Tampa Florida...these surgeons are amazing !!...choose your sons thyroid surgeon very carefully !!

Momofson profile image
Momofson in reply toRhenDutchess123

I have read everything I can get my hands on about thyroid surgery and you are right...it is so very important to get a good thyroid surgeon. I’m fighting with the insurance company right now over that. They want him to go to a general surgeon in our small town and I want him to go to Mayo where we have already meant the surgeon and the surgeon is an ENT surgeon that does this surgery all the time. I’ve read that asurgeon should do at least 30 thyroid surgeries a year and should specialize and know about how to get it all in case of surgery.

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