Amazing Health Benefits of Iodine | Symptoms of Iodine - Food and Health

HEALTH BENEFITS OF IODINE

iodine is a trace element essential for life the primary biological role of iodine is to function as a precursor of various thyroid hormones namely thyroxine and triiodothyronine these hormones are produced in conjunction with a precursor amino acid tyrosine I'm not going to dive into the role of thyroid gland in the human body but its function is primarily centered around metabolism and I would encourage you to read more if you're interested

Benefits of iodine but I would advise you against supplementing iodine without discussing it first with your physician the first thing it can be used for is oral mucositis this is a fancy term for inflammation of the mucous membranes of your mouth often associated with chemotherapy or radiation it can be very painful and there is limited evidence that suggests that an oral iodine mouthwash may help reduce the intensity and severity of these symptoms it can also help with fibrocystic breast changes which are when the connective tissue of your breast feels lumpy or rope-like this is also termed nodule or glandular breast tissue and more than half of women experience it they can cause discomfort or pain especially associated with the menstrual cycle however it's important to note that these do not increase your risk of cancer evidence suggests that women taking iodine replacement therapy an improvement in the tenderness associated with fibrocystic breast tissue vaginitis is inflammation of the vagina which can be caused by a variety of things iodine douches have been shown to reduce inflammation itching and discharge iodine based products are also commonly used as a disinfectant by medical providers it has natural antiseptic properties and can be found in over-the-counter wound care products it is also something that we use in the emergency department in individuals exposed to radiation giving thyroid supplementation can prevent radioactive material from having a negative effect on the thyroid gland fortunately for most people this should not be an issue deficiency is uncommon in developed nations but can manifest as mental retardation or developmental delay hypothyroidism which can present as fatigue weight gain dry skin sensitivity to temperature greater which is basically an enlarged thyroid and is typically the first symptom

cretinism and other growth and developmental abnormalities the deficiency in selenium iron or vitamin A may exacerbate your iodine deficiency although rare excess iodine does occur and can manifest as Goyer as well high or low thyroid and increased risk of thyroid cancer in the Western world roughly 30% of iodine comes from salt which is added to potassium so keep an eye out for iodized salt you're probably using it without knowing it the other 70% of iodine comes from food sources and those common sources include marine life such as shellfish cod bass haddock perch and seaweed kelp and also garlic lima bean soy beans spinach squash turnip dairy and obviously as a supplement or multivitamin as far as the recommended daily allowance goes I definitely recommend you talk to your health care provider before you start supplementing it but in the non-pregnant adult 150 micro grams per day is the recommended amount by the Institute of Medicine and pregnant women it's 220 and breastfeeding women 290 micro grams per day so in summary we can say the following iodine is a follow component fundamental for human life it is principally associated with the blend of a few thyroid hormones it may be useful in the treatment of oral mucositis fibrocystic breast changes vaginitis wound care and radiation exposure deficiency can cause hypothyroidism growth and developmental abnormalities toxicity can cause hyper or hypo thyroidism and an increased risk of thyroid cancer the best sources are iodized salt marine fish and certain plants and the recommended daily allowance is 150 micro grams per day and non-pregnant adults...