Iodine: a lot to swallow

Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, August-Sept, 2005 by Alan R. Gaby

Practitioners who are using iodine therapy report that these side effects, including thyroid problems, are very uncommon. The relative absence of side effects may be due to the use of iodine as part of a comprehensive nutritional program. One might also speculate that the iodine/iodide combination causes fewer adverse effects on thyroid function than does iodide alone (which is the type of iodine present in iodized salt).

Conclusion

The possibility that high-dose iodine/iodide can relieve certain common conditions is intriguing. Considering the positive anecdotal reports, an empirical trial of iodine/iodide therapy, based on the clinical picture, seems reasonable. The case has not been made, however, that the average person should markedly increase his or her iodine intake in an attempt to saturate the tissues with iodine. Nor has the case been made that the iodine-load test can provide reliable guidance regarding the need for iodine therapy. Thyroid function should be monitored in patients receiving more than 1 mg of iodine per day.

Alan R. Gaby, MD

References

1. Brownstein D. Iodine: why you need it, why you can't live without it. Medical Alternatives Press, West Bloomfield, MI, 2004.

2. Abraham GE, et al. Orthoiodosupplementation: Iodine sufficiency of the whole human body. http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-02/IOD-02.htm#2. (Note: Several other articles on iodine by Abraham GE et al are posted at this website).

3. Brownstein D. op. cit.

4. Ghent WR, et al. Iodine replacement in fibrocystic disease of the breast. Can J Surg 1993;36:453-460.

5. Abraham GE, et al. op. cit.

6. Nagataki S, et al. Thyroid function in chronic excess iodide ingestion: comparison of thyroidal absolute iodine uptake and degradation of thyroxine in euthyroid Japanese subjects. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1967;27:638-647.

7. Ishizuki Y, et al. [The variation of Japanese urinary excretion of iodine in different decades of age]. [Article in Japanese]. Nippon Naibunpi Gakkai Zasshi 1994;70:1093-1100.

8. Ishizuki Y, et al. [Urinary iodide excretion in Japanese people and thyroid dysfunction]. [Article in Japanese]. Nippon Naibunpi Gakkai Zasshi 1992;68:550-556.

9. Crout NM, Voigt G, Modeling the dynamics of radioiodine in dairy cows. J Dairy Sci 1996;79:254-9.

10. Kasagi K, et al. Effect of iodine restriction on thyroid function in patients with primary hypothyroidism. Thyroid 2003;13:561-567.

11. Zimmermann MB, et al. High thyroid volume in children with excess dietary iodine intakes. Am J Clin Nutr 2005;81:840-844.

12. Schumm-Draeger PM. [Iodine and thyroid autoimmunity] [Article in German]. Z Arztl Fortbild Qualitatssich 2004;98 Suppl 5:73-6.

13. Zois C, et al. High prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis in schoolchildren after elimination of iodine deficiency in northwestern Greece. Thyroid 2003;13:485-9.

14. Stewart JC, Vidor GI. Thyrotoxicosis induced by iodine contamination of food: a common unrecognized condition? Br Med J 1976;1:372-375.