Iodized table salt is responsible for making iodine deficiencies rare in the developed world. Your body needs the trace mineral iodine to make thyroid hormones. In fact, about 70 to 80 percent of the iodine in your body is in your thyroid gland, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. You should receive your recommended daily allowance of iodine to avoid adverse reactions such as dizziness from taking too much or too little.
Recommended Daily Allowance
The recommended daily allowance for iodine intake varies by age and gender. Newborns and infants up to 6 months of age should take 40 mcg of iodine daily, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Infants from six months to 1 year need about 50 mcg of iodine daily. Children ages 1 to 10 years need between 70 mcg to 120 mcg every day. If you are older than 10, you need 120 mcg to 150 mcg of iodine daily. Pregnant women need about 175 mcg of iodine, while nursing mothers need as much as 200 mcg of iodine.
Iodine Deficiency
Taking deficient levels of iodine will cause thyroid problems such as goiter to occur. Deficient iodine levels are also likely to cause your blood pressure to increase, according to MedlinePlus, a service of the National Institutes of Health. Dizziness is one of the effects high blood pressure. Iodine deficiency sometimes causes your heartbeat to become erratic.
Tolerable Upper Intake Levels
Taking too much iodine will cause adverse reactions. Iodine doses that exceed 2,000 mcg are generally considered toxic, the University of Maryland Medical Center notes. Such high iodine doses impede the production of thyroid hormones, causing hypothyroidism. The upper tolerable limit of iodine for adults is 1,100 mcg daily, MedlinePlus says. Children between the ages of 1 and 3 should not take more than 200 mcg of iodine daily. Children ages 4 to 8 should not exceed 300 mcg daily. Those between 9 and 13 should not take more than 600 mcg of iodine daily. Adolescents should not exceed 900 mcg of iodine daily. Exceeding the tolerable upper intake limit causes headaches and diarrhea. Other side effects include irregular heart beats and dizziness, according to MayoClinic.com. You are also likely to experience dizziness as a result of high iodine intake: Too much iodine also elevates your risk of developing thyroid diseases.
Possible Interactions
Iodine also interacts with medications such as lithium and warfarin, the University of Maryland Medical Center reports. Iodine also potentiates the effects of antithyroid medications such as propylthiouracil, increasing the risk of hypothyroid effects. In some cases, hypothyroidism leads to dizziness, according to Bookshelf, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Dizziness caused by hypothyroidism ranges from mild, temporary dizziness to severe dizziness accompanied by a loss of control over body movements.
