Over 2 billion people worldwide are at
risk of iodine deficiency, with 30 countries still being classified as iodine - deficient.
In some regions of the world, iodine - deficient soils are common, increasing the risk
of iodine deficiency among people who consume foods primarily from those areas.
Normally hypothyroidism takes place as a
result of iodine deficiency which causes thyroid to produce too little thyroid hormone and thus leading to fatigue or difficulty losing weight.
Considering that low - salt diets can increase the
risk of iodine deficiency, they may also be increasing the risk of hypothyroidism and thyroid cancer.
For instance, after the development of the universal salt iodization initiative in China, median urinary iodine escalated from 164.8 μg / L in 1995 to 238.6 μg / L in 2011, well beyond the 100.0 to 199.0 μg / L levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) from prevention
of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD)(2).
He estimates that over 90 % of thyroid patients have autoimmune thyroid disease and not simply low thyroid function
because of iodine deficiency so cruciferous vegetables are almost always a non-issue.
Symptoms of iodine deficiency include sluggish pulse, always feeling cold, constipation, unexplained weight gain, dry skin and hair, muscle aches, and fatigue.
A 1998 report from The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reported that
rates of iodine deficiency had dramatically increased in the United States over the past 20 years.
Pregnant women are particularly susceptible to possible negative effects
of iodine deficiency as adequate levels of this essential mineral are critically important for the proper neural development of the fetus.
Considering that iodine requirements increase by more than 50 percent during pregnancy, and that the negative health
consequences of iodine deficiency in pregnancy can be impaired neurological development in the fetus, there should be greater caution with salt restriction in women who are pregnant or plan on becoming pregnant.
one of the most common
forms of iodine deficiency / thyroid dysfunction is actually via consuming plant based foods that bind the iodine and other minerals.
Apart from soil depletion there are other possible causes
of iodine deficiency such as bromine which is a common endocrine disruptor.
Even the NHANES data have uncovered substantial deficiency in some demographic groups, such as women of childbearing age, using their relatively lax
definition of iodine deficiency.
Many doctors would say that it's nearly impossible to consume enough goitrogens to become a real problem unless the foods highest in this plant chemical — turnips and rutabagas — are eaten daily, as a staple and in the
presence of iodine deficiency.
A new
wave of iodine deficiency is now sweeping the world — quadrupling over the past 40 years — but for very different reasons than in the beginning of the twentieth century.
Several studies have found no association with perchlorate levels and thyroid function (18, 19), except when also in the
context of iodine deficiency (20).
At the same time, you'll want to avoid all sources of bromine as much as possible, as this appears to play a large role in the rising
levels of iodine deficiency.
Anyone who is dairy - free, skipping iodized salt, vegan, paleo, or doesn't eat eggs, is at risk of iodine deficiency
An increased iodine requirement as a result of significant changes in human nutrition rather than a decreased environmental iodine supply is suggested to represent the main cause
of the iodine deficiency disorders (IDD).
However, pregnant and breastfeeding women have a higher iodine requirement (250 µg / day) and are therefore more at risk
of iodine deficiency, which could affect neurological development in babies.
Weaning infants are also at particularly high risk
of iodine deficiency and our fear of salting our children's food isn't helping matters either.
Consumption of high amounts of inorganic iodine (as in iodized salt or iodine - fortified bread) as well as of organic iodine (as in kelp) can cause thyroid problems similar to
those of iodine deficiency, including goiter.5
According to studies, approximately 71 % to 74 % or more of the world's population is now iodine sufficient, illuminating that the risk
of iodine deficiency is overstated (1, 7).
Worldwide, it's thought that up to 40 percent of the population is at risk
of iodine deficiency.
Iodine is important for brain and thyroid function, and pregnant women and children have been shown to be especially at risk
of iodine deficiency (20).
My naturopath also said that this level
of iodine deficiency is probably having a bigger effect on my body and playing a part in my reproductive hormones too.