Iodine and selenium testing in Uk- worth the fight?

[Saya85]

Hi all,

So recently I feel like I may actually be iodine deficient and because of hashimotos I have actively been avoiding it in supplements and my diet is prob low in it too.

I always crave fish and seafood and wonder if this is more a biological craving for iodine possibly.

I’ve also been supplementing 200mcg selenium. My TPO antibodies had actually reduced since last year (523 to 486) but I think I might actually be over supplementing. Have noticed a more persistent garlic breath and slight changes to nails etc also

However I am also on the lower end for ferritin.

So my question is- will the gP be responsive to testing both selenium And iodine? Or will he just label me as crazy if I ask for it.

How long before the blood tests should I stop selenium supplements so it doesn’t skew results?

Many thanks

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Extremely unlikely to get selenium testing via GP

Medichecks offer it

Two types - red cell measures long term level

Plasma (blood) shorter term levels

trace-elements.co.uk/seleni...

healthunlocked.com/search/s...

[Saya85 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks!

Yes I felt I might have to tread carefully with what I ask him. Don’t need hypochondria added to the list.

Il have a look at the links, thanks

[greygoose]

How much levo are you taking, now? 150 mcg? That will give you 97.5 mcg iodine a day. Plus what you get in your food. I very much doubt you are deficient in iodine.

[Saya85 in reply to greygoose]

Thanks gg.

Yes I am on 150mcg now lol. Haven’t had new test results yet

Was wondering why some people do better with some iodine supplementation also alongside t4.

But I guess it doesn’t matter.

[greygoose in reply to Saya85]

Rather doubtful. Iodine supplementation is really, really not recommended with hypo, and certainly not with Hashi's. They might feel well to begin with, because iodine stimulates the thyroid. But, it doesn't last. The thyroid just burns out faster.

[Elainevictor in reply to greygoose]

I have hashimotos and i take liothyronine t3 only meds. My iodine is close to zero.... i eat eggs and fish.... why is mine so low then?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Elainevictor]

Elainevictor

I don't know, just guessing, but I wonder if farmed fish is lower in Iodine than non-farmed "wild" fish. Haddock and cod are supposed to have the highest Iodine content.

[LAHs in reply to SeasideSusie]

Just what I was thinking. EV might also be eating fresh water (river) fish rather than Ocean/Sea fish (the latter has more iodine).

[greygoose in reply to Elainevictor]

Close to zero? Or close to the bottom of the range?

How much T3 do you take? Obviously you would get less iodine from T3 than T4, because there is one atome less per molecule of T3. But, 25 mcg of T3 would give you 12.2 mcg approx. of iodine.

But are your other nutrients low? You could just have an absorption problem.

[Elainevictor in reply to greygoose]

Way past the bottom of the range ,close to zero. About 3-6 . I take 40mcg T3 a day. Only my Vit D is low

[greygoose in reply to Elainevictor]

What sort of test did you do? Because they aren't all very reliable.

[Elainevictor in reply to greygoose]

Blood test? U think it might have been wrong?

[greygoose in reply to Elainevictor]

Some do say it's unreliable. But, no-one really seems to know the best way of testing iodine. Perhaps you could post a new question asking what tests for iodine people recommend.

[Elainevictor in reply to greygoose]

Yeah thanks i will xx

[Saya85 in reply to greygoose]

I wonder- surely iodine level tests for ‘free’ iodine in the body rather than the ‘bound’ iodine that is t4:/t3.

I could be wrong but it would make sense why it might be low.

Normally we need iodine so that the thyroid can convert it into t4/t3.

But as we are supplementing the bound iodine the ‘free’ iodine levels are inconsequential.

[greygoose in reply to Saya85]

I'm sorry, I don't really know what you're saying, here. But the thyroid doesn't 'convert' it into hormone, it is one of the ingredients of thyroid hormone. Not quite the same.

[Saya85 in reply to greygoose]

ThTs what I mean- the iodine is bound in the thyroid hormone so maybe it doesn’t show up on blood tests ... it was just a thought

[greygoose in reply to Saya85]

Well, obviously it wouldn't show up in an iodine test if it's still part of the thyroid hormone.

But, when T4 is converted to T3 (or rT3) one atom of iodine is released into the blood, and recycled. So, if you are taking 100 mcg T4, that will give you 65 mcg iodine when it is converted to T3. Then it will show up in the blood test.

[silverfox7]

It's a contentious thing iodine. I have recently had it suggested to me that could have been my original problem! Interestingly I changed my diet several years ago after a food intolerance test was extremely high but I was going on a cruise the following week so ate according to my report and felt great! The biggest change was a daily cheese omelette for breakfast so had that been the missing link as I found energy I wasn't aware of before and then found eggs high in iodine. Keep saying I should. Heck it out!

[Saya85 in reply to silverfox7]

Thanks for your reply.

Interesting- I wonder if it was just high protein/fat breakfast that might have helped.

I used to eat a lot of fish and seafood and canned fish etc I actually think I may have had high mercury levels to begin with that started hair loss amongst other things.

I guess I just wanted justification to start eating it again 🤣

[LAHs]

Yes, Mercury in fish. I read somewhere that Selenium prevents Mercury toxicity. I would say keep up your intake of Selenium and keep up your diet rich in fish. If you are getting "Garlic breath" you might be topping out on Selenium. Do get these levels checked (private blood tests) before you supplement. Oh, and over-medicating on Selenium can also cause hair loss.

[Saya85 in reply to LAHs]

Thanks- I think I’ll have to check my selenium. Although they say 400mcg+ is toxic rather than 200mcg.

But some say even that could be too much for some people. Testing it is 👍🏻

[LAHs in reply to Saya85]

2 Brazil nuts will supply a little less than 200+/- micrograms of Selenium (Se) per day which is abut 200%+/- of your daily requirement. Do measure your Se levels first though, don't overload on the heavy metals, any of them. After you have eaten 2 Brazil nuts per day for about six weeks measure your level again to make sure you have not found a poor source of nuts (which will be very unlikely). Brazil nuts also have magnesium in them, and cashews are good for zinc. I feel that it is better to get the heavy metals from foods since you get a feedback (no pun intended) system, when you are dosed up with any mineral you will not want to eat that food for a while, so you never overdose. You will not know until it is too late if you take a pill. I take plenty of vitamin supplements in pill form, because when you take too many you just pee it out, this is not the case with metals.

[Saya85 in reply to LAHs]

Interesting! Will look more into that, thanks

[thyroidlady]

The World Health Organisation says 150 mcg of iodine necessary for healthy function but taking too much can overstimulate the thyroid, and if you have Hashimotos this will make you worse. Take enough but not too much. It's like food, you need a balance.