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Iodine & Iodide Benefits

Jun 14, 2011 | By Jae Allen
Iodine & Iodide Benefits
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Whether you want to maintain healthy teeth, fingernails, hair, thyroid function or overall metabolism, it is important to maintain a good level of iodine or iodide in your body. Iodine is a mineral element which takes the name iodide when combined in a compound with another element -- potassium iodide, for example. Too much iodine can be dangerous, however, so it is important to balance your iodine intake in order to maximize its health benefits and minimize the risks of over-consumption.

Thyroid Function

A certain level of iodine or iodide is essential to proper thyroid function. In turn, the thyroid controls your metabolic rate. Writing in the June 2006 issue of the "New England Journal of Medicine," Dr. Weiping Teng states that thyroid disease may occur if you consume either too much iodine or too little. In a study carried out by Dr. Teng and a consortium of medical researchers, excess iodine intake was shown to increase an individual's chance of developing hypothyroidism. Of the patients studied, those with mildly deficient iodine intake ran a 0.2 percent chance of developing hypothyroidism. Those patients with slightly higher than necessary iodine intake had a 0.5 percent chance of hypothyroidism, and the incidence of hypothyroidism in those patients with an excessive iodine intake was 0.3 percent. Therefore, it is important that you consume sufficient iodine to support your thyroid function, but too much iodine can be dangerous and lead to thyroid problems.

Removal of Body Toxins

It is believed that iodine and iodide compounds have the ability to remove toxins from the body and therefore improve overall health. As an antimicrobial agent, iodine can prevent harmful bacteria from growing in the stomach. Additionally, it is believed that iodine can work to remove heavy metals from the body, through a process known as chelation. Writing in the 2007 issue of the "Journal of Complementary Medicine," Dr. Isaac Eliaz states that heavy metals such as lead and mercury negatively effect the body's ability to heal after illness. Dr. Eliaz notes that these heavy metals can worsen chronic or long-term diseases. Iodine can also stimulate the removal of bromide and fluoride from the body.

Nails, Hair and Teeth

An adequate level of iodine in your body is necessary for your hair and nails to be healthy. The antimicrobial property of iodine and iodide is also used in dentistry as it is believed to be beneficial to the teeth and gums. Writing in the April 2010 issue of the "Journal of Periodontal Research," Dr. Sahrmann indicates that a povidone-iodine rinse is beneficial to patients undergoing nonsurgical periodontal work.

References

Article reviewed by Roman Tsivkin Last updated on: Jun 14, 2011

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