iodine excess

[Guest guest]

Celeste,

Where is iodine in the standard American diet (sad)? Is it organic or

inorganic--does it matter?

I ask because at a family reunion this summer I noticed 90% of the (23)women,

relatives and in-laws, have a diagnosed thyroid problem. Several of the others

have the traditional banding of the throat and three-quarter eyebrows and

temperature challenges. One of shared thing I could find is that they all have

cut salt from their diet. Here in the midwest they add iodine to salt because

there is none in the soil. Another is toothpaste--all use fluoridated products.

All of them use aspartame. It is my understanding that just these three things

are a challenge to a woman's hormonal balance.

Granted this tiny sample and unscientific observations may not mean anything,

but give me a little more regarding excess iodine so I can agree with you,

please.

While I don't doubt your statement that excess iodine can be harmful (moderation

in all), your example of taking potassium iodide to prevent thyroid damage

doesn't speak to excess iodine, it only says that there's a protective level of

nourishment given the thyroid by supplementing.

I think there are a lot of women in the US who suffer iodine deficiency. By the

time they get to this list, supplementing may not be helpful as their thyroid is

damaged and iodine alone is most probably inadequate to bring restoration.

SaraLou

Re: any ideas helpful

Shimiah,

Actually, too much iodine can also cause goiter. Too much iodine will

suppress thyroid activity. That's why people take potassium iodide if

they are in the vicinity of a nuclear accident. The potassium iodide

renders the thyroid unable to absorb any radioactive iodine which

might be in the air or water supply.

There are still some countries in the world where people have an

iodine deficiency, but the U.S. in NOT one of them.

Best wishes,

Celeste

Shimiah wrote:

> I agree with Everything that said, except one thing:

>

> In regards to too much iodine--it is actually iodine DEFICIENCY

that

> causes GOITER and Hypothyroidism (in countries with un-iodized

> salt). Many scientists speculate that, as we in America begin to

eat

> low-sodium diets, we have seen an increase in hypothyroidism due to

> lack of iodine.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 9/18/2002 8:43:11 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

slpedigo@... writes:

> Where is iodine in the standard American diet (sad)? Is it organic or

> inorganic--does it matter?

>

Lou,

Iodine excess comes from sodium added to all kinds of foods. Even folks on

low sodium diets get iodine if they eat processed foods that have a

combination of other ingredients from other places. One typical trip to an

American fast food joint will likely net you all the iodine you'd need for a

month!. All salt, so far as I know, that is used in commercial preparation

of processed food, has iodine added to it. It's ubiquitous!

Then, you need to consider vitamin supplements. 95%, or maybe as high as

98%, of multiple daily vitamin supplements have iodine added. Same with

daily multiple mineral supplements. So anyone who is " protecting their

health " with a one-a-day muliple is already getting all the iodine they need.

Add that amount to even salt intake. . .

Another source you have to consider is foods that are naturally high in

iodine to begin with--ocean going fish, other seafood, kelp, seaweed. Anyone

for sushi?!? Folks who are switching to more fish for a healthy diet, if

they eat it more than once a week, are also getting plenty of iodine.

I think the idea that Americans are iodine deficient and that is the reason

for an upswing in hypothyroidism is false. I would look for a cause first,

to the increae of consumption of plant based estrogen in the American diet in

addition to estrogen coming through the American medical system.

Estrogen is antagonist to thyroid hormone in the body. It's not a bad thing

it just is. The body has all kinds of antagonists as back-up systems so it

won't get too off kilter in one direction or the other. But, ingesting too

much estrogen, whether through food (soy), medicine (HRT, birth control),

water (my osteopath told me that municipal water supplies are controlling

" bugs " in their water with estrogen based pesticides), or OTC and HFS

supplements high in soy (protein powders and bars) can markedly depress

thyroid function and thyroid hormone production.

Soy is very bad for the thyroid. It is extremely high in plant based

estrogens. <A

HREF= " http://www.nexusmagazine.com/soydangers.html " >http://www.nexusmagazine.com\

/soydangers.html</A> I think it is

silently ruining the thyroid health of millions of Americans under the guise

of being the perfect food! Pay attention to soy foods ads. They are aimed

straight at menopausal women, the percentage of the population most

frightened by the idea of losing their youth and who are most at risk for

developing some form of thyroid disease! And the women you were looking

around at at your family reunion? Are they mostly in their late 40s/ early

50s? Do they think anything of popping a food or protein bar into their

mouth or a feasting on a tofutti frozen desert? Not likely. They may also

be eating tofu dogs (less fat, doncha know), soy cheese, soy milk for hot

flashes, etc. Not a pretty picture, IMO.

Iodine deficiency in America? Red herring, IMO.

in LA

[Guest guest]

SaraLou,

Taking potassium iodide in the event of a nuclear accident has

nothing to do with a protective level of nourishment. It has to do

with overloading the thyroid to keep it from functioning so that it

cannot absorb any other iodine. Often taking potassium iodide in this

manner results in goiter or other symptoms of reduced thyroid

function, but I think that's better than absorbing radioactive iodine

and ending up with cancer.

Best wishes,

Celeste

SaraLou Pedigo wrote:

> While I don't doubt your statement that excess iodine can be

harmful (moderation in all), your example of taking potassium iodide

to prevent thyroid damage doesn't speak to excess iodine, it only

says that there's a protective level of nourishment given the thyroid

by supplementing.

>

[Guest guest]

SaraLou,

How about not mixing apples and oranges? First you ask a question

about the standard American diet which is overloaded with sodium in

the form of iodized salt. Then you switch gears to talk about your

family reunion and people on sodium-restriced diets. Those on low-

sodium diets should be supplementing with some other form of iodine

that's not bound to sodium.

The only conclusion I can draw from your family reunion information

is that it sounds like thyroid disease definitely runs in your

family. Iodine is added to salt all over the United States . . . not

just in the Midwest where it might actually be needed.

I prefer to get my iodine by eating ocean fish and seafood and not by

using table salt (iodized or not).

Much aloha,

Celeste

SaraLou Pedigo wrote:

> Where is iodine in the standard American diet (sad)? Is it organic

or inorganic--does it matter?

>

> I ask because at a family reunion this summer I noticed 90% of the

(23)women, relatives and in-laws, have a diagnosed thyroid problem.

Several of the others have the traditional banding of the throat and

three-quarter eyebrows and temperature challenges. One of shared

thing I could find is that they all have cut salt from their diet.

Here in the midwest they add iodine to salt because there is none in

the soil.