Could someone help with explaining this article I found on the British Thyroid Foundation site. I eat salmon. Is this to be avoided due to its iodine content? Or is it good for hypothyroidism?
I have added this to my diet over the last 6 months. Can this affect the thyroid e.g going overactive or under active?
Also, what is thyroxine composed of in the drug we take? Not the fillers etc.
Thank you
Very interesting! I find that iodine definitely triggers my thyroid and my TSH goes up, so I avoid it. I tried to experiment with it a few times and it always threw my thyroid out of balance. You can eat flax or chia seeds for Omega 3, all great sources and 1-2 tbsp a day will do it. Or Omega 3 supplement from algal oil.
Btw, do you have a link to that article please? I would like to save it!
Here is the link:
thanks for the article …. I’ll have a read later
Levothyroxine (T4 ) is basically made of 4 iodine atoms
T3 is 3 iodine atoms .
Therefore Levo itself gives us quite a bit of our body's need for iodine.
Also , the thyroid uses iodine to make T4/ T3 , but since we are taking it from a tablet , our thyroid is not asked to make much/ any T4 /T3 of its own anymore , so we use up a lot less iodine than someone who 's thyroid is doing the job of making their T4/T3 .
Iodine sources as part of our regular the diet are fine to eat , just be a bit wary about having stiff that is known to have an extremely high iodine content on a very regular basis, eg a huge bowl of seaweed every day is not a great idea.
But generally , there's no need to worry much about the iodine content in food .. the article is simply saying that there is usually no need for anyone taking Levo to take iodine 'supplements' . so i'd carry on with your salmon .. but like anything else .just do it in moderation.
Iodine "in excess" can have interesting/ complicated effects on thyroid conditions .
It can cause hypo or hyperthyroidism .
A deficiency is still responsible for some cases of hypothyroidism in parts of the world, it used to be a common cause in UK many yrs ago eg 'Derbyshire Neck' .... ( not enough iodine to make T4/T3 .. so thyroid grown bigger to try to grab more of it ).....but this kind of hypo caused by iodine deficiency is not found often in UK anymore .
However , In very high doses it used to be used to reduce high T4/T3 levels in hyperthyroidism before they invented antithyroid drugs.
Iodine also has a complicated relationship to selenium levels.... it all get's a bit complicated for me to remember the details , other than the rule:
'do not take iodine supplements when hypo / hyper unless it had been properly tested by a trusted method and proven to be defficient..and if deficient , it should only by supplemented under the guidance of an experienced practitioner.'
If you put 'Iodine Thyroid' into the search box for HU with results set to ThyroidUK forum, you will find lots of posts discussing it in detail , as the subject comes up quite frequently
Thank you for your detailed reply. I will read over this as it has been very useful and informative.
Hi tattybogle,
I know I've mentioned this before but I found that I'm iodine deficient highly likely due to my longterm vegan diet.
Although I don't actually have a diagnosis of hypothyroidism my multinodular goitre is I beleive due to my deficiency.
Now I'm on levo it would be interesting to know if my iodine levels have increased. Trying to get advice from any medics has been difficult and the iodine issue just gets brushed aside. The only thing I was told by ENT was not to supplement as it would complicate my situation.
I would've thought eating fish would be ok, as long as it's not every day and just 1-2x a week but I'm no expert so don't take my word for it.
This issue with taking iodine whilst on thyroid meds and having hypothyroidism has always confused me. Because iodine is not only used by the thyroid gland, it's used functionally in other parts of the body too e.g. breast tissue, fetal development, cognitive function (ref: verywellhealth.com/benefits... (healthline.com/health/iodin... . So logic tells me we still need some even though we're on thyroid meds but how much, is the question?
I hardly ever eat fish anymore due to the heavy metals in many fish. So I'm actually wondering if I'm not getting enough iodine? I don't supplement with it but use Lugol's medicinally occasionally, such as topically as an antiseptic (if needed, though this is rare) or gargle with it diluted in water for a sore throat or use a drop of it in a Himalayan salt pipe and inhale for sore throats/coughs for example.
I have an appointment soon with an Endocrinologist and I am going to ask his advice on eating salmon and other iodine rich foods. I will post back with his response. He is very good although, my appointments are usually rushed, but I will write this one down.
I do only eat 1 to 2 portions though a week.
I think we get enough iodine from diet, so taking a supp will be overkill, i was taking a multi vitamin for a month with iodine and my tsh went up and i started getting hyper symptoms so i had to stop and felt better.
That is interesting as my thyroid has been suppressed since including salmon in my diet, although, there could be other reasons added to this at the moment.
I wouldn't worry too much about fish iodine. They are like us: only take up as much iodine as needed for their health. And since the amount of fish you eat is a small percentage of your weight, the extra iodine is negligible. It's only when eg the Japanese, eating both seaweed and fish together, that excess iodine intake happens, with sometimes unhappy results.
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