If you’ve been here for a while, you know how passionate I am about minerals. I talk a lot about minerals like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and copper, but what about iodine? Iodine is one of those minerals that doesn’t get the same attention as others and is often demonized. We are told to avoid excessive amounts of iodine or it could harm our thyroid and cause autoimmune conditions, but iodine is essential. Without adequate amounts, our thyroid cannot make thyroid hormone and our metabolism slows down, which means everything slows down. This can lead to digestive issues, hormone problems, fatigue, and lots of unwanted symptoms. Let’s dig into some of the most important things to know about iodine!
Iodine is a mineral that is specifically part of the halogen family, which includes chlorine, fluorine, and bromine. Halogens form a salt when they react with metals. Iodine is by far the most supportive halogen and is found in every cell of the body. Every gland concentrates iodine and uses it to create hormones. Iodine is essential for thyroid hormone production, and our thyroid contains the highest concentration of iodine in the body. All hormone receptors are dependent on iodine, which increases the sensitivity of the receptor to the hormone it is designed for. For example, iodine attaches to insulin receptors and improves glucose metabolism.
Iodine is also responsible for maintaining the health of our glands, specifically, our thyroid, ovaries, uterus, breast, and prostate. When an iodine deficiency is present, cystic/fluid-filled tissue can form and lead to a nodule and sometimes cancer. Dr. David Brownstein has been able to show that it generally takes 3-6 months of iodine supplementation to improve/reverse cysts, nodules, or disrupted glandular tissue. It can take years in severe cases, but this is pretty amazing. I have had husbands of clients with prostate enlargement and frequent urination (especially at night) that were able to reduce their prostate size and have huge relief using iodine. I’ve also seen iodine improve blood sugar levels and help people get off thyroid medication or lower their dose.
While iodine is essential for healthy hormones and glands, it’s also essential for our immune system. Poor immune system response is directly impaired by a sluggish thyroid. An iodine deficiency will lead to low thyroid hormone output and impact how our immune system functions. Iodine also has many therapeutic properties like being anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal.
Two forms of iodine are used in the body—iodine and then the reduced form of iodine, known as iodide. Iodide contains one extra electron and actually improves the solubility of iodine in supplements. Iodine is difficult to get into a solution that uses water as its solvent, but if you pair it with iodide, this fixes that problem. Different tissues in the body respond differently to different forms as well. For example, the thyroid gland and skin primarily use iodide, but breast and prostate tissue primarily use iodine.
We use iodine in order to make thyroid hormones. If you think about the two major thyroid hormones, T4 and T3, they are made of iodine molecules. T4 has four iodine molecules, while T3 has three iodine molecules. How does iodine get to that point? When we ingest iodine and iodide in the GI tract, it’s transported to our thyroid cells via iodine transport molecules, also known as NIS. When the brain senses that we need thyroid hormone, our hypothalamus gives our pituitary gland a little nudge to make thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). That communicates to our thyroid that we need more thyroid hormone. Our thyroid then makes T4 (this is inactive thyroid hormone–think of it as a car in neutral) and then eventually T3 (this is active thyroid hormone–think of it as a car in drive).
TSH helps us make more NIS–those iodine transport molecules. When we don’t have enough iodine, we don’t make enough of those NIS molecules. The more iodine we have available, the more NIS we will make, and this allows us to utilize the iodine. This is why when we supplement with iodine, TSH levels go up. It’s making more of those NIS transporters to utilize iodine.
Iodine deficiency is a lot more common than you might think. 60% of women of reproductive age are deficient in iodine and iodine levels in the US alone have dropped by over 50% in the past 40 years, according to an NHANES study. Dr. David Brownstein, iodine expert, said that over 95% of his patients tested were deficient in iodine.
Why has iodine deficiency increased so much over the years, especially in the US? There are a few major reasons for this:
The last big issue is that the RDA is very low and does not help to reverse disease, only to prevent it.
Iodized Salt
What about iodized salt? Does this mean I should consume salt that contains iodine? Iodized salt actually isn’t a great source of iodine. Dr. David Brownstein cites an interesting study in his book, Iodine Why You Need It Why You Can’t Live Without It:
“In 1969, researchers looked at the bioavailability of iodine in salt versus bread. Two groups of people were studies; one group ingested a measured amount of iodine in salt, the other group ingested a measured amount of iodine in bread. Both subjected groups were estimated to ingest approximately 750mcg of iodine. By ingesting 750mcg of iodine, the expected serum levels of iodine would be 17.2mcg/L. However, the iodized salt group only had a serum level of 1.7mcg/L versus 18.7mcg in the bread group. This information would suggest the iodine in iodized salt is only 10% bioavailable.”
The other issue with refined salt is that it has had all of its minerals removed and has been exposed to toxic chemicals.
Signs of Iodine Deficiency
Any symptom that lines up with hypothyroidism will typically line up with iodine deficiency.
Outside of how essential iodine is for creating thyroid hormone and supporting overall hormone health, I think the coolest thing about iodine is all of its therapeutic properties. Not only is iodine antibacterial, but it is also a strong antifungal and antiviral agent. Dr. David Derry wrote, “Iodine was the most effective agent for killing viruses, especially influenza viruses. Aerosol iodine was found to kill viruses in sprayed mists, and solutions of iodine were equally effective.” Another promising study from Massachusetts General Hospital shows us, “HIV was completely inactivated and could not longer replicate after exposure to the povidone-iodine preparations even at very low concentrations.”
I find iodine particularly fascinating for its antibacterial benefits, especially given how concerning antibacterial resistance is becoming. The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) determined that, left unchecked, in the next 35 years, antimicrobial resistance could kill 300,000,000 people worldwide and stunt global economic output by $100 trillion. The CDC and WHO have both recognized that antibiotic resistance threatens their ability to do their jobs. This is where iodine can come in handy!
Using iodine topically as well as orally or in a gargle has been shown to be useful in eradicating different infections. Povidone-iodine is the most common form of topical iodine and is something we keep in our med kit at home. I’ve also had many clients titrate oral iodine to get rid of UTI’s. Iodine can also help break down biofilms, which can hide infections and make it impossible to fully eradicate harmful bacteria both in the oral and gut microbiomes.
If you are like me and are completely blown away by iodine and wondering how you can test your levels and get more insight into that, make sure you listen to the are you menstrual? podcast episode where I cover all the iodine knowledge and different ways to assess iodine status at the end. Listen here!
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