Why Is Iodine Consumption Essential?

Iodine is required by our body for optimum growth and development. Lack of iodine in our body causes fatigue, constipation, mental retardation, depression, irritation, poor levels of perception, coarse skin, hair fall, excessive weight gain,etc.

Iodine is an important component for not only the thyroid gland to function properly, but for other body tissues as well. Thyroid nodules can form because of iodine deficiency. Iodine supplementation has been proven to decrease the size of thyroid nodules.

Iodine is significant not only for the thyroid, but additionally for the prostate gland and breasts. Women with fibrocystic breast disease have been seen to have low iodine.

Some diseases like thyroid ailments, fibrocystic breast disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, prostate health and immune function are treated by doctors with high doses of iodine.

These doctors recommend high doses of iodine in the range of 12.5-50.0 mg of iodine per day.

Consumption of iodine is essential to maintain a healthy metabolic rate and energy levels, to have healthy skin, nails and hair, to maintain a healthy reproductive system, to build a strong immune system and to prevent cancer.

In order for iodine to be properly utilized by the thyroid gland, you must have a healthful transport mechanism which is optimised with vitamin C and magnesium. Twenty five percent of the iodine within the body is stored in the thyroid gland.

The recommended daily consumption of iodine is 150 micrograms. These guidelines were based on stopping goiters, but not on optimum thyroid function and the activity of T4 and T3.

Iodine was added to flour in the sixties which supplied a modest dose of iodine per piece of bread. It is still added to salt as salt is regularly consumed by people all over the world.

Iodine was replaced by the toxic compound bromide in the early eighties due to misinformation from the medical community. Bromide is a goitrogen that slows down the absorption of iodine into the thyroid gland.