The Connection Between Iodine and Thyroid Hormone Production

In previous posts we talked about how goitrogens affect the iodine and thyroid hormone production in our bodies, now I’m going to talk about iodine intake, how it works with, how it affects the thyroid and whether you should be taking iodine supplements for hypothyroidism.

Iodine and Your Thyroid

You might be asking; what does iodine have to do with hypothyroidism and thyroid dysfunction? Well iodine plays a major role in the overall function of the thyroid and its production of thyroid hormone. It’s for this reason that the bodies iodine intake needs to maintain a healthy balance.

Iodine is the key component in thyroid hormone production. There are two hormones produced by the thyroid gland T3 and T4. The numbers 3 and 4 are the actual number of iodine atoms found in each thyroid hormone molecule.

Just too briefly explain the complex manner of how T3 and T4 hormones are used by our bodies I’ll try to summarize it in laymen’s terms. The cells in our bodies use T3 thyroid hormone for gene control. However the majority of thyroid hormone that the thyroid gland produces is T4. The bulk of the T3 and T4 hormones stick to proteins that are produced by the liver, the remainder of the hormones actually make it into the bodies cells where T4 is converted to T3 by the cells deiodinase enzymes and use it to control the cells genes.

Iodine and Thyroid Hormone Production – Iodine deficiency

When there isn’t enough of iodine in a person’s diet the thyroid gland can’t produce enough thyroid hormone to meet the body’s demands. This is when goiter develops because the thyroid gland enlarges as it works harder and harder to try to meet those demands. I’ve seen instances where the recommended daily allowance of iodine intake can range anywhere from 90 on up to 290 micrograms per day depending on age and whether you are pregnant or nursing. Pregnant women require around 220 and nursing women may require around 290 micrograms of iodine per day.

Thyroid dysfunction caused by iodine deficiency in the United States is very rare because in this country our salt as well as many of the foods that we eat contain iodine. The lack of iodine is more common in countries around the world that don’t have iodized table salt or readily available sea food and kelp.

Iodine Supplements for Hypothyroidism – Iodine excess?

More common in the United States are issues where excessive iodine intake is prominent. As I stated above, in the United States there may be more than enough iodine in our daily diets to fulfill the iodine needs of our thyroids. With this being the case in the United States there may be no need for iodine supplements for hypothyroidism treatment. As a matter of fact taking iodine supplements could be detrimental to your thyroid health. If you suspect that you may be have an issue with iodine deficiency you should have blood work done to confirm it.

When there is excessive iodine intake in the human body the thyroid gland starts to overproduce thyroid hormone and when this happens the bodies autoimmune system starts to attack and shut down the thyroid gland to a point where it actually causes hypothyroidism if you have an underlying potential for hypothyroidism such as a family history of this disease. On the other side of the coin if you are pre-disposed to either Grave’s disease of nodular goiter then too much iodine can cause hyperthyroidism. A healthy thyroid gland handles excessive iodine intake by controlling how much iodine it takes in and last with Hashimoto’s too much iodine intake will cause your thyroid gland to slow down thyroid hormone production even more than it already is.

So again when you are looking to provide yourself with a healthy hypothyroidism diet much like with goitrogens and everything else that you include in your diet, it’s important to maintain a healthy balance of foods that contain iodine. Always consult your doctor to treat your thyroid disease then look into the diet and exercise program that works best for you. If a lack of iodine is discovered through proper testing then you may need an iodine supplement.

None the less, there is an important link between iodine and thyroid hormone production but this is only part of the story.