Iodine Deficiency

Question: If I stop using iodized salt altogether will my family be at risk for iodine deficiency? I'm thinking about going to all kosher salt for cooking and flavoring, but iodine deficiency crossed my mind. Any thoughts?

Answer: Sugar Pie is right. Iodized salt is our main source of iodine. Iodine is important for combatting a host of physical problems from goiter to depression and several other nasty things. There are other things to eat which are iodine-rich, but you should still use it on the table. There's a link below where you can read more about it:

Question: How quickly does iodine deficiency lead to hypothyroidism? If one was having very little iodine in their diet, how quickly could they get an underactive thyroid as a result?

Answer: Iodine deficiency is virtually non existent in the UK now, since small iodine supplements are added to all salt and this ends up in every-body's diet.

Question: how can you know if hypothyroidism is caused by iodine deficiency? oddly enough my cholestrahol (sp?) level is very low.... i have a raised tsh level of around 7 and my T4 is normal. i have to admit that i've never had the most well rounded diet and tend to eat fast food alot and alot of hamburgers, fries. i've never liked salads or vegetables much and i don't like to add salt to anything. so wiht that info can you tell me if i could have an iodine deficiency that is causing my hypothyroidism? ok it's my T4 free that is 1.1 i don't know...i'm not used to these titles yet... so does that make a difference?

Answer: I doubt it. Actually, according to your information, it sounds like you have subclinical hypothyroidism, due to the fact that your T4 is normal. You have to understand what the numbers mean -- TSH is thyroid stimulating hormone. With a high TSH, your body has to produce a lot more hormone to keep your thyroid normal than it used to. Well, it is doing the trick -- with normal T4 (and presumably T3 and free T levels), the amount of TSH your body is kicking out is keeping your thyroid acting normally. Therefore, it leads me to suspect you have very early Hashimoto's Disease, which is an autoimmune disease in which antibodies attack the thyroid and kill it. (They don't know where these antibodies come from and are looking for the source.) So, that said, you will have a future of raising your supplemental thyroid hormone as the antibodies continue to attack the thyroid. Indicentally, with hypothyroidism, if your thyroid level is too low, your cholesterol level jumps. For your cholesterol level to be so low, you don't have a bad case of hypothyroidism ... Don't look for the cause to be iodine deficiency ... it very likely is not and more likely is autoimmune. It's not as bad as it may seem -- I have it and have had it for over 10 years. My levels will change and I just adjust my dosage of levothyroxine (the replacement thyroid hormone) -- no issues and the hormone itself is very cheap. Take care of yourself!

Question: The #1 cause of preventable mental retardation worldwide is iodine deficiency during pregnancy (resulting in c The #1 cause of preventable mental retardation worldwide is iodine deficiency during pregnancy (resulting in cretinism). what is the #1 cause of preventable mental retardation in the United States is intake of during pregnancy?

Answer: Dietary deficiencies are not common in USA, specially in pregnant ladies. There may be other causes related with mental retardation, but not due to any deficiencies I think. I would like to see other answers. Good luck!

Question: When Doctors say cut back on your salt, do they not understand Iodine deficiency and many health problems? Sorry I see most are misinformed the salt we get in canned foods and on frys do not have the Iodine.

Answer: besides, even if you could cut all the salt in the table (which by the way is very difficult) and also cut a great amount of salt in the food preparation, you wouldn't be able to cut the salt present in the food itself. About the first response, your is a good question, there is people who can't handle it. Good for you !!

Question: How can iodine deficiency lead to a hypothyroid goiter.? can someone please explain this to me?

Answer: Yes, iodine deficiency is the leading cause of goitre in endemic iodine deficient countries, such as those high up in the mountains. The hypothalamus secretes Thyroid Releasing Hormone (TRH), acting on the Anterior pituitary gland to secrete Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) which acts on the thyroid gland follicular cells to make T3 & T4. How is T3 and T4 made, well Iodine normally combines with tyrosine in the thyroid gland follicular cells and forms thyroglobulin T1 &T2 --> T3 then T4. This is released into the circulation primary as T4 and is broken down to T3 which acts on the nuclear receptors of cells. The circulating T3, T4 acts on both the Anterior pituitary and the hypothalamus to signal it to REDUCE its secretion of TRH and TSH. When T3,T4 levels are really low, the negative feedback mechanism is taken away, and there is no stimulus saying to the hypothalamus or pituitary to reduce TRH and TSH secretion. Low Iodine --> Low blood T3,T4 --> No negative feedback on TRH and TSH secretion --> Increase TRH and TSH --> Increase in size of Thyroid follicular cells even if there is no iodine and Tyrosine to make Thyroid hormones. Hope this helps Australian 4th year Medical Student

Question: the epidemiology of iodine deficiency disease? i have to investigate what has been done by national and international government agencies and other organisations to address this problem. i'm doing an assignment for health studies. can anyone help or point me to the right websites?

Answer: Is your Google broken? Wikipedia broken too? Because the first result on Google is the Wikipedia article on iodine deficiency. That article links to the article on iodized salt.

Question: Iodine deficiency automatically means hypothyroid? Last week I took an iodine deficiency test. The result is that I'm in extreme iodine deficiency. So I've been taking an iodine supplement and since then my stomach has been feeling better (I've had stomach problems since July 2006). Just because I have an iodine deficiency, does it automatically mean I have hypothyroidism? I have symptoms of hypothyroidism--sluggish, insomnia, difficulty losing weight, hair loss, depression, mood swings, hands and feet are always cold, headaches, decreased libido, etc. But will taking the iodine supplement be enough and if not, when should I see a doctor about it? I'm nervous about bringing it up to my doctor, I've given him all of my symptoms and he just says its depression and gives me more anti-depressants.

Answer: thyroid gland fails to produce adequate levels of thyroid hormone. Symptoms include the following: Sluggishness Sensitivity to cold Weight gain Depression Dry skin Loss of hair Excessive menstruation Hoarseness Goiter (a visible enlargement of the neck caused by a swollen thyroid gland) Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is the most common natural cause of low thyroid hormone levels. In this autoimmune condition, the body develops antibodies that attack and gradually destroy the thyroid. A viral infection of the thyroid can also decrease thyroid hormone production, but the effect is generally mild and temporary. Finally, iodine deficiency can cause hypothyroidism, but this seldom occurs in the developed world where iodine is routinely added to salt. Besides these natural causes, there is a still more common cause of hypothyroidism—medical treatment for hyperthyroidism (excessive production of thyroid hormone production). People with certain forms of hyperthyroidism receive treatment with radioactive iodine to inactivate the thyroid gland. This treatment causes hypothyroidism, which requires lifelong treatment with thyroid replacement therapy. Until the 1990s, doctors commonly diagnosed hypothyroidism by conducting lab tests to measure thyroid hormone levels in the blood (the T4 level). Unfortunately, normal thyroid levels vary widely between people, so this method couldn’t always correctly identify the disease. A much better lab test, which became available in the 1990s, involves measurement of a hormone called TSH, or thyroid stimulating hormone.

Question: How can I help eliminate iodine deficiency?

Answer: Have you really been diagnosed with an iodine deficiency, or is this internet self diagnosis?? I find it hard to believe that anyone in the United States has an iodine deficiency. We have had iodized salt for 75 years now.

Question: Iodine deficiency. My sister just told me that her health expert told her that most people in America are? deficient in Iodine. Eh? Maybe in the 1920s but isn't that what Iodized salt is all about? So her health expert recommended she start using natural sea salt (Redmond's to be exact) and stop using ordinary salt. Eh? If she is iodine deficient why is she going to stop using iodized salt? Eh? I probably should have put "expert" in quotes.

Answer: "Iodized" table salt has been chemically processed and pulverised and and bleached with chlorine to make it pretty and "white" and has aluminium added to it so that it flows easier and doesn't clump ...... it also has processed sugar added to it as a preservative.... so your frizzed if you're trying to avoid processed sugar too. http://sci-toys.com/ingredients/table_sa… celtic sea salt is pure and mineral rich and a very powerfull natural antibiotic ...... natural sea salt is "naturally" a greyish color and it's very good for you .... any good health food store will sell it to you......... it only costs around $6.00 per 500gm bag. Celtic Sea Salt is rich in elements such as iodine, essential for the synthesis of thyroid hormones. http://himalayansalt.com.au/celticseasal… peace baby ♥