Does Salt With Iodine Stimulate A Sluggish Thyroid?

Iodine is essential for human health. Your body requires only trace amounts of this element, but the consequences of insufficient iodine in your diet can be devastating. In fact, the World Health Organization reports that iodine deficiency is the most common cause of preventable brain damage in the world. Iodine’s principal role is in the formation of thyroid hormones, which are critical for normal growth and development. However, adding extra iodine to your diet – whether as iodized salt or in any other form – may not necessarily stimulate your thyroid gland.

Hormone Synthesis

Your thyroid gland is located in the lower front part of your neck, just below your Adam’s apple. This bi-lobed organ is capable of trapping iodine from your bloodstream and incorporating it into two hormones – triiodothyronine, or T3, and thyroxine, or T4 – that control your body’s use of energy. By regulating cellular activity and the production of adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, thyroid hormones set your metabolic rate and influence all of your other bodily functions. If your diet is deficient in iodine, your thyroid gland enlarges to trap as much iodine as it can to synthesize T3 and T4. Iodized salt is an important means of preventing iodine deficiency in many countries, including the United States.

Goiter

Aside from iodized salt, the richest sources of iodine – marine vegetables, shellfish and fish – come from the ocean. Plants grown on sea-adjacent soils are also high in iodine. You are more likely to develop iodine deficiency if you live in a region that is remote from ocean waters. Unless you receive a supplemental source of iodine, you can develop goiter, or thyroid enlargement, as your body attempts to compensate for the lack of iodine in your diet. In such regions, iodized salt is particularly useful for preventing iodine deficiency and for supporting thyroid function.

Hypothyroidism

Iodine deficiency is an unusual cause of hypothyroidism, or sluggish thyroid, in developed countries. According to “The Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy,” other causes of thyroid deficiency, such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or radiation treatment for Graves' disease, are far more common in industrialized nations. In these cases, the problem is not caused by iodine deficiency, and iodized salt will not stimulate thyroid function. People with hypothyroidism that is unrelated to iodine deficiency must take thyroid hormones to maintain their health.

Considerations

Symptoms of hypothyroidism in adults include fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, menstrual irregularities, poor mental function, dry skin and constipation. In children, hypothyroidism can cause delayed development, poor growth and irreversible mental retardation. Iodized salt is useful only for preventing iodine deficiency and correcting hypothyroidism caused by iodine deficiency. Recommended daily allowances for iodine vary from 110 micrograms daily for infants to 290 micrograms for nursing mothers. One gram of iodized salt – about one-sixth teaspoon – contains approximately 75 micrograms of iodine. Ask your doctor if your iodine needs are being met.