Is There Any Reliable Food Source Of Iodine?

[lvysaur]

Sea kelp

rude

 

[Amazoniac]

Yeah, I don't worry about isolated nutrients but if I was consciously trying to get iodine, I'd opt for whole food sources like cranberries, strawberries, prunes and California carrots specifically since Reams' tests show Cali carrots are higher in iodine. Cranberries in particular are quite high in the nutrient and I definitely prefer cranberry sauce to sea vegetables. I have a very refined palate. Only the jellied cranberry sauce that comes in a can will do. :p

What's your opinion on fortified salt and potassium iodide supplements?

 

[Amazoniac]

Speaking of dairy and iodine on the other thread, not sure if you're eating the same way that you were one year ago or so, but how do you get enough iodine? And what's your opinion on the question above?

 

[Jennifer]

What's your opinion on fortified salt and potassium iodide supplements?

Oops! Sorry I missed this. I often forget to sign in when browsing so I don't see my updates.

The sort answer - I'm not a fan of either and believe it's best to get our nutrients naturally from unfortified/whole foods.

The long answer - If there's a true nutrient deficiency, I would first question why because that to me makes a difference on how to proceed. Is it due to a diet being deficient in a particular nutrient because it consists of foods full of chemicals and stripped of nutrients, food restriction/inadequate caloric consumption, lack of a tissue like in the case of a thyroidectomy etc. or because there are issues happening with one or more of these four basic processes:

Digestion - Are the organs that are responsible for producing the enzymes needed for the break down of nutrients weak? Is there proper intestinal flora for the beneficial breakdown of various by-products of digestion such as B vitamins or K, or have antibiotics been used etc.?

Absorption - Are the bowel walls inflamed, impacted or congested interstitially so that adequate amounts of nutrients are unable to be absorbed fully?

Utilization - Are the glands that produce the steroids responsible for nutrient utilization weak? For example, the adrenal glands which produce the corticosteriods responsible for utilizing minerals properly or the parathyroid/thyroid glands in the case of calcium utilization.

Elimination - Are the tissues that make up the eliminative systems strong (and present) so that the acidic waste that is naturally created by the body's own metabolic processes and toxins from drugs, environment etc. aren't building up inside and stagnating lymph and weakening tissues etc.?

 

[Amazoniac]

@Travis
- What's your criteria for selecting kelp supplements?
- Do you believe seaweeds' contaminants are antagonized by the desirable stuff in them?
- Are you aware if the body rejects iodine excess to some degree once it has enough of it?
- How does it work to go by feel when it comes to using a tablet?

I always knew kelp as kombu. Never realized that they're used interchain- interchama- used in place of the other refering to the same plant.

 

[Travis]

@Travis
- What's your criteria for selecting kelp supplements?
- Do you believe seaweeds' contaminants are antagonized by the desirable stuff in them?
- Are you aware if the body rejects iodine excess to some degree once it has enough of it?
- How does it work to go by feel when it comes to using a tablet?

I always knew kelp as kombu. Never realized that they're used interchain- interchama- used in place of the other refering to the same plant.

I just take some now‐and‐again, nonchalantly. Perhaps I will take some later today.. . .

I just bought the first one that I saw, really. I think mercury is mostly filtered by the cysteine‐rich fish . . . and further concentrated as these fish are eaten by other, bigger, cysteine‐rich fish. You might expect—based on the stability constant between mercury and thiols (~10³⁷)*—that intra‐oceanic mercury would distribute more in the fish, and less in the weeds.

Some talk is made of 'extra‐thyroidal' iodide by the supplement‐ and book‐mongers, but I think this is mostly salesmanship. Extrathyroidal iodide (I⁻) seems to act more like an anesthetic than anything—similar to lithium—and high serum concentrations would necessarily lead to high thyroidal iodide levels, subsequent lipid peroxidation in that organ, and perhaps even apoptosis in that very same organ.† The cancer studies on molecular iodine involved the addition of I₂ to unsaturated lipids, perhaps neutralizing arachidonic acid—or interfering with eicosanoid signalling in some other way. ¿Are iodinated lipids anti‐inflammatory; do they inhibit COX‐2? Probably, but there's likely better approaches—ones with more experimental data to pour over. I think the concept of 'extrathyroidal' iodine and/or iodide is somewhat tenuous—despite being heavily‐lauded by some—as it would lead to hyperiodination of the thyroid gland and general anesthesia. Iodide should perhaps be ingested in doses with the capacity of the thyroid gland in mind; ingesting anything over this should be proceeded through caution.

I don't really overthink iodide, I just take kelp for the production of thyroid hormone whenever it comes to mind. The small amounts of mercury in the kelp will probably end‐up on glutathione, excreted, leached through the ground, end‐up in the ocean, consumed by a fish, yet another bigger fish, caught by a fisherman, stuffed in a can, and then sold to Costco. I think the kelp tablets come from Scandanavia, or somewhere in the North Atlantic (not sure). As long as we're not buying the Chisso™ brand we should be fine.

*Dyrssen, David. "The sulphur-mercury (II) system in natural waters." Water, Air, & Soil Pollution (1991)
†Vitale, Mario, et al. "Iodide excess induces apoptosis in thyroid cells through a p53-independent mechanism involving oxidative stress." Endocrinology 141.2 (2000): 598-605.

 

[Amazoniac]

Thanks for the reply.

Vitale, Mario, et al. "Iodide excess induces apoptosis in thyroid cells through a p53-independent mechanism involving oxidative stress."

¿

The small amounts of mercury in the kelp will probably end‐up on glutathione, excreted, leached through the ground, end‐up in the ocean, consumed by a fish, yet another bigger fish, caught by a fisherman, stuffed in a can, and then sold to Costco.

I would imagine that the thiocyanate ion is then displaced, filtered by the kidneys, and then becoming something for the fish—or divers other aquatic species—to consider (I hope they have Sci‐Hub so they too can learn how to deal with it).

I once drank a broth made from kelp, it tasted nasty but the effects were powerful. Do you notice anything right away?

 

[Amazoniac]

Dear electron spinner, if you happen to read this again, what's your concern with potassium iodide supplements?

 

[x-ray peat]

this may be useful. I assume from this that Ray thinks we get enough from seafood/shellfish etc. though he does say a dosage 0f 150 mcg is safe.
http://www.functionalps.com/blog/2011/10/12/the-myth-of-iodine-deficiency-an-interview-with-dr-ray-peat/
The Myth of Iodine Deficiency: An Interview with Dr. Ray Peat
Is iodine supplementation safe and, if not, is there a safe amount of supplemental iodine?

Dr. Peat: “A dosage of 150 mcg (micrograms, not milligrams, e.g., ug not mg) is a safe amount of iodine. There are excellent references describing the effect of a moderate iodine excess (even below a milligram per day) on the thyroid. An iodine deficiency can cause hypothyroidism (rare now), but so can an excess. Iodine deficiency is an unusual cause of hypothyroidism, except in a few places, like the mountains of Mexico and China, and the Andes.

“Most goiters now are from estrogen-like effects, but they used to be from iodine deficiency. Chronic excess iodine tends to cause thyroiditis, regardless of the gland’s size. The amounts used by Abraham and Flechas are much larger than this — very toxic doses, enough to cause severe thyroid problems.”

Is the Iodine Test Kit (from Dr. Abraham) valid and does it reveal thyroid deficiency?

“Guy Abraham and some of his followers claim that an iodine deficiency can be shown by the quick disappearance of a spot of iodine painted on the skin. The skin test of iodine deficiency is completely unscientific. Iodine is converted to colorless iodide by reductants, including vitamin C, glutathione, and thiosulphate. “G. Abraham’s Iodine Test Kit contains iodine overdose pills. The test is completely irrational. It implies that the body should be saturated with iodine.”

Is there a rational way to determine iodine deficiency or excess?

“It’s easy to recognize a chronic iodine deficiency, because it causes the thyroid gland to enlarge. Goiters can be caused in various ways, for example by being exposed to various goitrogens, including excess iodine, or by excessive estrogen and deficient progesterone, as well as by an iodine deficiency. “However, a chronic excess of iodine is harder to recognize, because it can produce a variety of degenerative changes. Measurement of the average daily iodine intake or excretion in the urine would be needed to confirm an excess. High iodine intake can suppress TSH, and since high TSH is pro-inflammatory, the iodine can have some protective anti-inflammatory actions, but in the long run, the thyroid suppression becomes a problem.”

Note: I have a list of references on iodine toxicity that are too lengthy for this newsletter. If you are interested in these references, please email me at [email protected], and I will send them to you.

Reference

To Your Health – July 2008 by Lita Lee

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Also:

Mary Shomon: Do you think the majority of people with hypothyroidism get too much or too little iodine? Should people with hypothyroidism add more iodine, like kelp, seaweeds, etc.?

Dr. Ray Peat: 30 years ago, it was found that people in the US were getting about ten times more iodine than they needed. In the mountains of Mexico and in the Andes, and in a few other remote places, iodine deficiency still exists. Kelp and other sources of excess iodine can suppress the thyroid, so they definitely shouldn’t be used to treat hypothyroidism.