Iodized or non iodized salt in hypothyroid ?

[Suzi_]

Which one should we use?

In USA we get enough iodine from our food.

Recently I saw a non-iodized Salt and purchased it thinking that people with thyroid should avoid iodine. Your thoughts please!

[greygoose]

Excess iodine can cause a lot of problems, whether you have a thyroid problem or not.

But, the problem with iodised salt is not just the iodine. The salt is processed and all the nutrients are stripped out of it. Chemicals are then added to make it flow freely. You'd be much better off with sea salt or pink Himalayan salt - both of which have low levels of iodine.

I expect you can get enough iodine from your food, but also, if you are taking thyroid hormone replacement, you will be getting some from that, too. 100 mcg T4 contains about 65 mcg iodine, which is recycled in the body. And, as your are on thyroid hormone replacement, your thyroid won't be making any hormone, so you need less iodine, not more.

[Suzi_ in reply to greygoose]

So, I will go ahead and open my non iodized salt I purchased to use in cooking! Thanks grey goose !

[greygoose in reply to Suzi_]

You're welcome.

[LindaC in reply to greygoose]

Thank you for this info. I'd heard with Hashi's [don't think/know if I ever have had] - "Taking iodine is like throwing oil on a fire". I rather like Roasted Seasoned Seaweed mini-sheets but where no iodine content is stated on the packet. Perusal online seems, as anticipated, to be giving so many versions of what's safe or not. Any idea?

[gabkad in reply to LindaC]

Nori is not really source of dietary iodine like kelp or kombu.Plus iodine evaporates. Dried kelp left in the cupboard loses a lot of iodine

as does iodized salt if stored in open containers. (I looked up a study done by

Faculty of Chemistry, University of Toronto).

When Nori is 'fried', iodine will come out and when it's packaged and you don't

even know how long it's in the package before you buy it, chances are most of

the iodine has evaporated.

If you look at this table, you'll be able to see the differences:

napiers.net/blogs/health-in...

[LindaC in reply to gabkad]

Thank you so much for this - very helpful. xox

[hyllet]

I take extra Iodine, Lugols solution, drops. many people have iodine defency it is hard to get enough iodine just from food. And iodized salt i a processed salt that is not good for you helt use unprocessed salt whit minerals, than take extra Iodine. Bromid och flour take iodine pklace in the body cause they are simmilar but have no effect in the body where as iodine shold be so we need extra iodine, not less

[Dancing_dragonfly in reply to hyllet]

I agree, many people don’t get enough iodine these days! In the past bread doughs we’re conditioned with iodine based conditioners, now they use bromine based. Water is fluoridated, at least here in the States. Bromine and Fluoride are halides that directly compete with iodine for thyroid use.

Too much is an issue, but a couple Nori sheets shouldn’t be a problem unless you already eat large amounts of seafood or sea vegetables.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to hyllet]

Bromide is NOT used in flour-based products, or any other foods, in the EU and UK.

[Hidden in reply to helvella]

Thanks, Helvella, for that clarification! There are some big differences between food additives here and in the US.

[Dancing_dragonfly in reply to Hidden]

Sadly true. Tons of other products a d medicines as well.

[gabkad in reply to Hidden]

Bromate is only used in the USA. It's illegal in Canada, UK, and EU.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to gabkad]

Even then, there is, I think, state legislation in at least California, to warn consumers if it is used in flour products.

oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65...

[Dancing_dragonfly in reply to helvella]

You guys are very lucky!

[Hidden in reply to Dancing_dragonfly]

in that sense, yes!

[radd]

Suzi_

I don't know statistics for America but here in the UK, that's the issue, as apparently we don't get enough iodine in our food, and kids are being shown as deficient in iodine.

Since the withdrawal in some areas of Europe of iodine disinfectants & iodine added to cow fodder, the deficiency is growing. In the UK iodine is still added to the food chain with milk and dairy products, and eggs being the most common sources, but milk consumption has fallen in later years with organic also containing less than conventional.

Because of the importance of iodine in both foetal and continuing babies development it is now commonly added to prenatal supplements, and with studies promoting it to be taken post-natally for breast feeding. There are calls here for public health guidance as we remain one of the few European countries without salt iodisation regulations.

[Hidden in reply to radd]

What you say makes a lot of sense, but the question is: do people without a thyroid need additional iodine as we no longer need the thyroid gland to make hormones? I have not been able to find a definite answer to that question.

[Dancing_dragonfly in reply to Hidden]

Great question!

[radd in reply to Hidden]

Purplecat71,

Well, because we replace our missing thyroid hormones with meds we certainly don’t need to ingest as much iodine as someone making their own with a healthy gland.

helvella knows the amount of iodine contained within thyroid hormone meds.

NHS states we need about 140 mcg. Whether we need extra on top of our meds must be individual, influenced by factors such as diet, UK location and if a proportion of the gland remains working, although I also read the damage incurred from iodine deficiency is in fact the result of thyroid hormone deficiency which we should not have.

We can find iodised salt in the UK if we look hard enough and last year I did actually supplement 75 mcg iodine daily in a combo which included selenium. I didn’t feel better or worse. I haven’t measured my antibodies for years now.

So in answer to question who knows 🤷‍♀️

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to radd]

There is a section called Iodine Content of Thyroid Hormones in my Vade Mecum - which has details.

helvella - Vade Mecum for Thyroid

The term vade mecum means:

1. A referential book such as a handbook or manual.

2. A useful object, constantly carried on one’s person.

Please don't get put off by the number of pages!

Not everything is in this one document - my major medicines document is still separate!

From Dropbox:

dropbox.com/s/vp5ct1cwc03bl...

From Google Drive:

drive.google.com/file/d/1ZW...

[radd in reply to radd]

This UK map showing iodine concentrations was taken from the UKSO (UK Soil Observatory).

This UK map showing iodine concentrations was taken from the UKSO (UK Soil Observatory).

[radd in reply to radd]

This map shows iodine concentrations world-wide.

This map shows iodine concentrations world-wide.