The Benefits of Iodine
Michael Arnold Glueck, M.D., and Robert J. Cihak, M.D., The Medicine Men
Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2007
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As many people know, the human body needs the element iodine (I), atomic number 53, to make thyroid hormones.
Yet the body apparently uses iodine for several additional purposes, according to Dr. Donald Miller, a heart surgeon practicing at the University of Washington. He recently published a new review "Extrathyroidal Benefits of Iodine" in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons (Vol. 11, No. 4, Winter 2006, Pages 106-110, available at
http://www.jpands.org/vol11no4/millerd.pdf.
How Much Is Enough?
The thyroid needs only a small quantity of iodine to make its hormones, about 0.1-0.15 milligrams per day, according to the experts who determine the "recommended dietary allowance" (RDA), a phrase recently escalated to "reference daily intake" (RDI).
Miller believes that this recommended dietary allowance for iodine "is far too low" — perhaps one hundred times too low.
He bases his conclusions on a wide variety of biochemical and biological evidence, including observations on the health of people who have lot of iodine in their diet and those who have only a little.
For example, he contrasts the American average daily iodine intake of 0.24 milligrams with the Japanese average of about 45 milligrams, almost 200 times as much.
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Lessons From the East
"Although one cannot draw cause-and-effect conclusions by looking at single factors in the context of general health statistics, the incidence of breast cancer in the United States is the highest in the world, and in Japan, until recently, it was the lowest.
"Japanese women who emigrate from Japan or adopt a Western-style diet have a higher rate of breast cancer compared with those who eat seaweed." Seaweed is a potent source of iodine and common in the Japanese diet.
He also notes, "Life expectancy in Japan is 81.25 years, compared to 77.85 years in the United States. Infant mortality rate in Japan is the lowest in the world, 3.5 deaths under age 1 per 1,000 live births, half the infant mortality rate in the United States.
"While no conclusions can be drawn from such figures concerning the benefits of iodine supplementation, they do suggest that iodine intake nearly 200 times greater than in the United States is unlikely to be toxic."
Can you take too much iodine?
It's possible, but it takes some doing. One 54-year-old man mistook a supersaturated potassium iodide (SSKI) preparation in his aunt's refrigerator for iced tea and consumed 15,000 milligrams of iodine. He had some irregular heartbeats and swelling but had no other problems.
Even so, "it is important to remember . . . that some individuals are oversensitive to iodine, particularly in SSKI and topical skin preparations . . ." according to Miller.
Worthy of Investigation
Medical reports suggest a small number of patients may have suffered iodide-induced autoimmune thyroiditis, hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism. As with just about anything new, it's a good idea to include a reasonable dose of caution and watch out for possible side effects.
Several medical studies indicate that "iodine effectively relieves signs and symptoms of fibrocystic breast disease." Miller believes "it is reasonable to hypothesize that fibrocystic disease of the breast and breast cancer may, like goiter and cretinism, be iodine-deficiency disorders."
Miller also comments on research currently underway at the Iodine Project founded by Guy Abraham, M.D., a former professor of obstetrics and gynecology at UCLA.
The Project's hypothesis is that "whole body sufficiency of iodine requires a daily intake of 12.5 milligrams." The Project has enrolled more than 4,000 human subjects who take daily doses ranging from 12 to 100 milligrams. So far, these investigators "have found that iodine reverses fibrocystic disease; their diabetic patients require less insulin; hypothyroid patients need less thyroid medication; symptoms of fibromyalgia resolve; and patients with migraine headaches stop having them."
Until more research confirms these preliminary results, iodine supplements won't be part of standard medical recommendations. So, if you think you might benefit from more iodine in your diet, you'll have to do more of your own research.
Miller's article is a good place to start.
Editor's Note: Robert J. Cihak wrote this week's column.