Iodine Message Not Getting Through

[LabDoc]

IODINE deficiency remains common among pregnant women, making awareness of the importance of iodine supplementation a public health priority, Australian experts say.

A cross-sectional study involving 139 pregnant women, who attended antenatal clinics in the Illawarra region in NSW, showed only 14.5% had adequate iodine levels based on urine samples.

The study, conducted in 2008, preceded the introduction of mandatory fortification of bread with iodised salt last year by Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).

At the time FSANZ warned that, while mandatory iodine fortification would provide sufficient amounts of iodine for most people, pregnant and breastfeeding women may often require an iodine supplement (MO, 9 October 2009).

The authors of the current study said in light of this, the poor level of knowledge about iodine nutrition among participants in the study was concerning.

Most pregnant women in the study were unaware that suboptimal iodine levels could cause a range of adverse health effects, including fetal neurological defects.

Only 11% said they had increased their iodine intake during pregnancy, and half the respondents were unable to identify dietary sources of iodine such as fish and iodised salt.

Despite WHO recommendations to promote public education programs, the authors said there were no strategies to improve the knowledge and awareness of iodine for pregnant women in Australia.

Most women also indicated that they had received substantially less dietary information on iodine (16%) compared with other nutrients (48%-63%).

"This highlights the urgent need for educational strategies specifically targeting healthcare providers to encourage supplementation," the authors said.

The authors said another barrier to iodine supplementation in pregnant women was that the most commonly used multivitamin and mineral supplement in the study, despite being promoted for pregnant women, failed to contain any iodine.

As a result, they called for regulation of specified levels of iodine equivalent to 150 µg/d in supplements marketed to pregnant women.

Nutrition 2010; 26(10):963-68

[LabDoc]

Maura. KI is the compound used in Iodised table salt and in some bread. Potassium Iodide tablets SHOULD NOT be used as a regular supplement, overdose is very easy and your Thyroid isn't too happy about too much either. You can buy KI tablets but you need to take them under strict medical supervision.

[Aaltrude]

There is a test you can do at home to discover if you are iodine deficient. Paint some unbleached Lugol's iodine on your skin. The colour should still be quite bright nine hours later. If it has faded significantly or disapeared, this is an indication you are probably deficient in iodine. In a deficient state, your body will grab at this available source of iodine, drawing it inot your body, whereas if you are not deficient it will be absorbed slowly. Ideally, it should take more than 24 hrs for the colour to disapear.

[Reesacat]

I take kelp in capsules since I just use sea salt and can't use regular iodine fortified baked goods due to gluten intolerance.

[DizzyIzzy]

The problem is the toxicity is so low and it's so easy to overdose... using things like lugol's can be really dangerous as it's so concentrated.

Kelp is the way forward. I don't touch iodised salt, blech, and dietary sources in NZ are more or less non-existant due to glaciation of our soil... but adding kelp powder to a lovely sea salt is adequate and works a treat. Or eating seaweed.

(People often tout the herb bladderwrack as a goodie too, which it is, but it's also usually gathered from the North Sea, which is extremely polluted... not sure I'd want to use anything from there, just personally).

[Aaltrude]

The problem is the toxicity is so low and it's so easy to overdose... using things like lugol's can be really dangerous as it's so concentrated.

I am intolerant of iodine containing foods such as kelp but I have found I can keep my iodine levels up by painting Lugol's iodine on my skin and absorbing it that way. You cannot overdose with Lugol's if it is used in this manner and in fact because the body absorbs it from the skin at the rate it needs iodine, it is very easy to work out how much to use.

[mellowsong]

I am intolerant of iodine containing foods such as kelp but I have found I can keep my iodine levels up by painting Lugol's iodine on my skin and absorbing it that way. You cannot overdose with Lugol's if it is used in this manner and in fact because the body absorbs it from the skin at the rate it needs iodine, it is very easy to work out how much to use.

I am actually allergic to Iodine itself. Well, according to one doc, it's not an allergy because the reaction isn't IgE mediated but I react, dramatically. At the urging of a chiropractor a few years ago, with the insistence I couldn't react to Lugol's, I stupidly applied it to my skin. The Iodine did disappear fairly quickly but the blister and sore that followed remained a few weeks. I should have known better; I react to Betadine :(

[DizzyIzzy]

:(

How does that work with your thyroid function, just out of interest?

Never ceases to amaze me how people can react to literally everything, even that which is so vital. I remember seeing a documentary a few years ago about a girl who was allergic to water.

[LabDoc]

Bladderwrack - I thought that was when you had to get up too many times in the night to pee!!

[Reesacat]

ROTFL@LabDoc!

[DizzyIzzy]

Hahahahaha

Maybe where the name is from?! Who knows!!

[Islander]

More likely from its shape. Because a customer asked me for it once, I had to research it, and of course found that it was not an herb one could grow locally! Yes, it's high in iodine, but also in many other minerals. In terms of pollution, I'd assume that any Bladderwrack supplement would have been purified prior to (or as part of) processing.

[DizzyIzzy]

Maybe... I'm not a fan of using herbs that are overly processed though, I prefer liquid extracts or dried herb over anything else. That's just my personal philosophy as a herbalist though - it better retains the energetic aspect which I think is often left out of herbalism these days but plays a huge role. I'd rather just use something from a less polluted part of the world.

[mellowsong]

:(

How does that work with your thyroid function, just out of interest?

Never ceases to amaze me how people can react to literally everything, even that which is so vital. I remember seeing a documentary a few years ago about a girl who was allergic to water.

Probably part of the reason my thyroid doesn't work. I've had to take thyroid meds for over 25 years :(

[LabDoc]

Do not take Lugols iodine without your doctors advice. Some people do suffer the side effects of Lugols iodine, which include: nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and a metallic taste in the mouth. Seek immediate medical attention for any of the following signs of an allergic reaction: rash, itching, swelling of the face, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing.

Absorption of Iodine through the skin would be difficult to quantitate - All iodine products can be toxic, or even deadly! Be very careful of self dosing with any Iodine product.