Reach The Iodine Thyroid Balance For Good Health

Iodine and thyroid are very closely linked and of paramount importance to the human body. Iodine discovered by French chemist Bernard Courtois in 1811 is essential not only for the thyroid gland but the proper functioning of the rest of the body. Iodine deficiency is not uncommon either. Years of medical research has found that its deficiency is the main reason for goiter that many people suffered from in the early 1900s. Countries all over the world have made it mandatory to have iodine in the table salt but even then the number of iodine deficiency sufferers has not lessened.

Functions of the thyroid gland

To understand how iodine thyroid affects people it is essential to look at the function of the thyroid gland and the resultant effects of iodine on it. The thyroid gland stores about 25 per cent of the iodine content needed by the body to function regularly. This gland regulates the body’s metabolism, a process that converts food into energy. It also produces two of the most important hormones – thyroxine and triiodothyronine. The thyroid gland in turn is dependent on iodine for functioning properly. The increase or decrease of the iodine content can cause hyper or hypothyroidism respectively.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is triggered when the iodine content falls below the required level. The resultant effect is weight gain, poor complexion, hair loss, fatigue, depression, memory loss, irritability, impotency, reduced sex drive, abnormal menstrual cycles and many more. Iodine thyroid is aggravated by the severity of the deficiency and the duration for which the body has been suffering. Since the body expects a particular amount of thyroxin, the pituitary glands continue to make more TSH in order to get more thyroxin. The constant production of TSH increases the thyroid gland and causes goiter. If hypothyroidism is left untreated it can turn to serious depression, heart failure and even coma.

Iodine thyroid treatment

Rectification of the iodine thyroid level is essential for the proper production of the thyroid hormones because iodine is the only fuel that it uses for proper functioning. The body ideally needs 50 micrograms of iodine daily to make the thyroid hormone. Doctors recommend around 150 micrograms for adults, for children 90-120, and for pregnant women around 200. Consuming too much iodine is inadvisable because it may have an adverse effect on the body. In Japan for instance, people consume about 1000 micrograms of iodine daily, and those who are unaccustomed to such high intake of iodine may develop thyroid diseases.

How the thyroid gland uses iodine

The thyroid gland converts iodine into iodide before assimilating it into the system. This is because the human body is unable to absorb iodine directly. It has to use the help of iodide for the purpose. Also, a good amount of energy is required by the body to break the iodide in the iodine form so that it can be easily absorbed. The resultant compounds form active hormones that are stored in the thyroid gland and later released in the blood. Therefore, the thyroid gland is totally made up of iodine and iodide which makes it extremely important for the human body.

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