Potassium Iodide In The Body

After a deadly 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan caused damage to several nuclear reactors, fears of radioactive contamination spurred people around the world to hoard potassium iodide supplements. Potassium iodide can be useful in the event of a radiation disaster, but it’s more commonly used for other medical conditions. However, potassium iodide is not something you should take without a doctor’s recommendation due to potentially serious side effects.

Potassium Iodide

Iodine is an essential element your thyroid gland needs to produce hormones. When iodine is combined with the mineral potassium, it becomes a stable iodine compound known as potassium iodide or by its scientific abbreviation, KI. Most stable iodine your body needs comes from foods like sea vegetables, eggs and dairy products. KI is the medicinal form of stable iodine. In the United States, food manufacturers have been adding iodine to table salt since the 1920s, and the Food and Drug Administration has approved potassium iodide for this purpose. Potassium iodide medicinal supplements are available as a syrup or tablets.

How It Works

Iodine helps the thyroid gland produce the thyroid hormones T3 and T4, which are essential for regulating protein synthesis and enzyme function and for helping organs develop in a fetus and in infants. Potassium iodide rapidly blocks the release of thyroid hormones and thereby blocks the uptake of radioactive particles in the event of a nuclear emergency. Otherwise, the particles would accumulate in the thyroid and potentially cause cancer over time. Potassium iodide also appears to have antifungal and expectorant properties.

Medical Applications

The National Institutes of Health reported that potassium iodide use in Poland after the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor meltdown prevented a spike in childhood thyroid cancer rates, unlike affected areas where supplements weren’t available. Pregnant women in Spain with an iodine deficiency were given potassium iodide in a 2009 study published in the “Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism”; test results showed that supplements resulted in significant improvements in neurodevelopment. Potassium iodide is also used to treat the fungal skin infection sporotrichosis and to help patients with hyperthyroid conditions; it also can loosen mucus in the airways of people with chronic lung conditions.

Side Effects

High doses of potassium iodide or long-term use can lead to toxicity, with symptoms including severe headache, systemic swelling, burning in the mouth and throat, bloody diarrhea and serious skin conditions. Excess or chronic use of potassium iodide can also cause thyroid disease in healthy people or make certain pre-existing thyroid conditions worse. In healthy pregnant women who aren’t iodine deficient, potassium iodide could cause birth defects. Do not use potassium iodide without first consulting your physician.

Potassium Iodide in the Body