Dr Friedman's view....

[Guest guest]

http://thyroid.about.com/b/2011/03/16/iodine-thyroid-nuclear-japan.htm

Should Americans Take Iodine to Protect the

Thyroid from Radiation from Japanese Nuclear Leak: Leading Endocrinologist

Theodore Friedman, MD Says No

After last week's earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the

subsequent damage to the reactors at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant,

there is a great deal of attention focused on the use of potassium iodide

supplements, and their ability to protect the thyroid gland from radioactve

exposure.

I had an opportunity to get first-hand

advice from one of the nation's leading endocrinologists, Theodore Friedman,

MD, PhD. Dr. Friedman is Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine, and

Chief, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Molecular Medicine, Endowed

Professor of Cardio-Metabolic Medicine, and Professor of Medicine at The

Drew University of Medicine & Sciences in Los Angeles, and a

Professor of Medicine at UCLA. He is also a board-certified endocrinologist in

private practice in the Los Angeles, California area.

Potassium Iodide In the News

Shomon:

Why is there so much interest in potassium iodide right now?

Dr. Friedman: I'd like to say first that we are all

saddened by the catastrophe happening in Japan following the recent earthquake,

and our prayers are with the Japanese population. We are especially concerned

about the dangers to citizens of Japan posed by the leak of the Japanese

Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. It is because of the damage to the plant that

many patients in the U.S. have been asking me should they take potassium iodide

to prevent the possible effects of radioactive iodine on the thyroid gland.

It is known that radioactive iodine exposure does lead to

thyroid cancer. We know that people who were near the Chernobyl nuclear reactor

plant in the Ukraine in 1986 did develop an increased rate of thyroid cancer.

However, the situation in Japan is quite different, for two reasons. First, the

leak is reportedly nowhere near the magnitude of that at Chernobyl, and second,

the distance between Japan and the United States is vast. The people who were

most affected by Chernobyl were located within 1,000 miles of Chernobyl, and

they were all downwind from the Chernobyl site. The west coast of the United

States is more than 5,000 miles away from Japan.

This combination of distance, plus the fact that the

radioactive materials are apparently significantly less than the Chernobyl

release, will, according to experts, mean that any radioactive materials that

leak from the Japanese plants will dissipate over the Pacific Ocean.

The Dangers of Taking Potassium Iodide

Shomon:

Americans are reportedly buying and taking all forms of potassium iodide, and

even other forms of iodine like kelp, as a response to concerns about the

Japanese reactor leaks. Do you feel that all Americans should start taking

potassium iodide? Are there any concerns or dangers for those outside the fallout

region who are taking potassium iodide?

Dr. Friedman: In terms of taking potassium iodide

(iodide becomes iodine with oxidation), the iodine can worsen both

hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. The exacerbation of hyperthyroidism with

exogenous iodide has caused a condition known as Jod-Basedow phenomena. This

effect is due to the fact that in hyperthyroidism, the gland is hungry for

iodine and when you give iodide, you make a mildly hyperthyroid gland much more

hyperthyroid as it gets iodine to make much more thyroid hormones. For this

reason, iodide can exacerbate mild or potential hyperthyroidism.

Iodide also has a detrimental effect in people who could

be prone to hypothyroidism. This is called the Wolff-Chaikoff effect. Exogenous

iodine can block the synthesis of iodine in patients who are already

hypothyroid, and can bring out latent hypothyroidism.

Because of the potential detrimental effects that taking

iodine can have on the thyroid gland -- as well as the infinitesimally low

chance that the radioactive fallout from Japan will affect Americans--I

strongly recommend against taking iodine supplementation at this time, in

response to the Japanese situation. I believe that the risks of potassium

iodide outweigh the benefits.

More Information on Potassium Iodide and

the Thyroid

·

Global

Rush on Potassium Iodide Pills

·

Japanese

Nuclear Disaster Raises U.S. Interest in Potassium Iodide

·

Protecting

Yourself From Nuclear Accident: Stockpiling Potassium Iodide

·

CDC Fact Sheet on Potassium

Iodide (KI)

·

FDA

Frequently Asked Questions on Potassium Iodide