Sea Salt -- Iodine - Bad for your thyroid?

[Mrs_Somerset]

I was reading an article which advised that taking your thyroid medication with certain other things can interfere with it.

On of the things mentioned was Iodine.

It also stated Sea salt contains Iodine and therefore you cannot eat sea salt.

I was a bit confused as I thought only Iodised salt contained any measurable levels of iodine and that Sea salt levels were engligable so I Googled it and found all sorts of waffle for and against.

So in your view - is Sea Salt safe to eat? Does it contain Iodine? Does it affect your absorption of thyroid meds or your conversion fo T4 to T3?

Enquiring minds need to know

[Marz]

I think the jury is still out ! You may wish to read about the Iodine Skin Test and subsequent posts in the Read Next section on this page ! Then you really will be confused !! JaneB has a story to tell - and then there are the others ! Personally I am more concerned about the quality of the salt I eat - if it is white - then it has been processed and has very little of the nutrients that the body needs - and there are a lot of them. Salt should be pink or grey or other shades. Like white bread and white sugar - it has been refined.

You only need a teaspoon of iodine in your entire life I have read....

[Mrs_Somerset in reply to Marz]

Hi Marz,

It is interesting insn't it, all te contradictory info out there.

If there is iodine in seasalt, I have probably inhumed more than a teaspoon of iodine from seawater when windsurfing! ( I was not very good at it - kept falling off!)

[Marz in reply to Mrs_Somerset]

..think it's well diluted in the sea-water - along with all the other stuff we don't like to think about...

[Hidden in reply to Marz]

where do you get coloured (ie unrefined) sea salt, then?

[HarryE in reply to Hidden]

I use Maldon, it is white but naturally so as I understand it. It hasn't been bleached. Bought from Tesco!

[Marz in reply to Hidden]

On-line or Supermarkets - Himalayan or Celtic Brands spring to mind ! I live in Crete so am able to buy local salt or the pink Himalayan from the supermarket.....

[Regenallotment Ambassador in reply to Marz]

Himalayan is usually rock salt (although geologically speaking it could be remnants of an ancient sea that closed up millions of years ago). I don’t know about iodine content but heard on a podcast that the pink is indicative of potassium content.

[helvella in reply to Regenallotment]

This thread is over nine years old!

It is OK to reply - but I suspect the discussion has moved on (and likely been revisited many times).

Potassium salts are usually, like sodium salts, white. The Lo Salt product contains a mix of sodium chloride and potassium chloride. And you can't see any obvious difference to ordinary white salt.

The pink colour of much Himalayan salt is far more likely to be caused by iron oxides. Pretty much, rust.

[Regenallotment Ambassador in reply to helvella]

really? 10!years! This forum is a goldmine 💚 not sure how it came up in my stream.

[Delgor in reply to Regenallotment]

I almost did the same thing once not so long ago - isn't great to be human😂

[Puppybreath]

Good information, thanks!

[Mrs_Somerset in reply to Puppybreath]

Hi Puppybreath,

I just wanted to clarify ( just in case you thought my post was making a statement of fact, which it is not)

I am asking a question, I do not hold or support any of the info out there on the interweb about iodine and sea salt and thyroid, I am just looking to gather opinions from the wise ones here - they have probably seen this sort of statement about Iodine and sea salt before - I really do not know if it is true - if it was I would be in trouble as I have been using sea salt on food since I was about 8

all the best,

M

[Puppybreath]

Thanks, I understand. It's just something I never gave any thought too, so it's interesting to read the different responses.

[paigie]

Oh dear . . . do I have to give up eating dried seaweed ?

I've never found any useful info on that. I have been hyper-thyroid

on and off for about 17 years now.

[helvella in reply to paigie]

A couple of years ago, a company launched a low-iodine cat food as a way of treating hyperthyroid cats. Avoids medicines as such - and cats are both prone to being hyper and sensitive to many medicines.

Last I read, the product seemed to be quite effective - but please do check that is true.

The basis is that if you have not got the iodine to make excess thyroid hormone, then that sets a limit on how hyper you can get.

[helvella]

Many living things in the sea, especially seaweeds such as kelp, are remarkably efficient at absorbing the iodine that is present and concentrating it in themselves.

The amount of iodine remaining in the water is quite low - as is the iodine content of sea salt.

Unless on a strict "no iodine" diet, I would (and don't) worry about any iodine that may be present.

Yes - there is a lot of bunkum about this and many other issues "out there"!

Rod

[paigie]

Thanks so much --- very clear and helpful.

[Hidden]

Lidl and BM stores sell pink salt in a grinder.

[helvella in reply to Hidden]

Lidl only sometimes sell it.

[Hidden]

Jamie Oliver sells pink salt too

[The-Wasp]

Hi there! The Thyroid Reset Diet by Dr. Alan Christianson goes deep into this topic. The book makes a ton of sense and has plenty of studies to back everything up. Essentially it explains that most of us get too much iodine and that an excess is toxic to your thyroid. I've tried the diet and it has worked wonders for me. There's plenty of other good, science backed thyroid info too. Good luck! Hashimoto's is an overwhelming, difficult illness.

[helvella in reply to The-Wasp]

This thread is over nine years old!

It is OK to reply - but I suspect the discussion has moved on (and likely been revisited many times).

The original poster, to whom you have replied, has not made any posts or replies on any HU forum for over five years.