Maureen IvusicWhen I ask people what they know about iodine, I usually get the same answer: it’s added to salt, so I guess we need it. This begs the questions: what is iodine exactly, why is it added to salt, and what does our body do with it?
Let’s get to the coconut meat of the matter!
What Is Iodine?
The element Iodine appears on the periodic table as I. One of the halogens, Iodine resembles Fluorine, Chlorine, and Bromine. (1)
As is the nature of things, though, iodine is an umbrella word for different forms of the element. Some are beneficial; others not so much.
Different Forms of the Same Element
These different forms take shape from what we’ll call the expression of iodine in Nature. In other words, we rarely encounter it in its raw, elemental form. But iodide, with a negative charge and free electrons, bonds easily with other elements to make familiar combinations, including potassium iodide and nascent iodine. (2)
Our bodies can either convert iodine into usable thyroid hormones, or certain forms, like potassium iodide actually block iodine uptake. This is useful in conditions involving an overactive thyroid, or when radioactive iodine is present. (3)
Pro Tip: Potassium iodide curbs an overactive thyroid while nascent iodine boosts an underactive thyroid.
Why Do We Need Iodine?
Primarily, the body needs iodine to make thyroid hormones. Yes, it’s essential! Thyroid hormones help you regulate your metabolism, but they also contribute to bone development and brain development during pregnancy and the first years of life. (4)
Many would argue that adults also need a good dose of iodine, too, to help with brain function and stave off cognitive decline. (5)
Iodine also supports the immune system and metabolism. For example, think of your thyroid hormones as your thermostat knobs. Iodine turns the knobs up or down. Too much or too little will negatively impact your thyroid. (6)
Fluoride: A Chink In The Armor
Unfortunately, for the past several decades, government agencies have added fluoride to our drinking water. Fluoride is a halogen, like iodine, and takes up space on the receptors of our cells. Life an NFL blocker, fluoride keeps iodine out of the cells, specifically thyroid hormone receptor sites. (7)
This triggers a cascade of problems with lower thyroid hormone production and utilization in the body. An underactive thyroid leads to hypothyroidism. (8, 9)
Making sure you get plenty of iodine, then, helps your cells return to balance. You get the fluoride out and the iodine in. And your thyroid begins functioning optimally again.
Pro Tip: Detoxadine by Global Healing offers an easy solution to iodine deficiency. Just 3 drops a day gives you the iodine you need!
Nascent Iodine
So what’s the best way to counter iodine deficiency?
Food is your best source. But if you don’t eat seafood or dairy, then it’s best to look for supplements. And keep in mind that 90% of the iodine you get from food goes through your body, not into where it’s needed. When you eat food containing iodine, the body needs to convert it into a usable form. (10)
Nascent iodine, on the other hand, has done that conversion already. So when you take it, your body recognizes nascent iodine as a usable vital nutrient. (11)
But before there was nascent iodine, there was iodized salt. Was that a good experiment?
Why Table Salt?
Seriously. Common table salt generally comes from mined rock (halite) and contains 97% to 99% NaCl (that’s Sodium Chloride). Then manufacturers add in iodine (and a lot of other stuff!) – an element was never in salt in the first place! (12)
But this did the trick for several decades.
For example, in Michigan where this experiment rolled out in 1924, goiter affected 30% of the population. That’s a lot of people with an underactive thyroid! By the 1950s, though, that number plummeted to under 2% of the population. (13)
Check out your favorite brand of sea salt. Does it contain iodine? Probably not, no. It has many other trace minerals that we need, but not that one.
So why put this particular element in processed salt?
Originally, authorities determined that table salt would be the best vehicle for iodine, as families used salt in food every day. When the cooking and seasoning was done in the home, then iodized salt was a natural choice. (14)
Things have changed, however, since that solution was applied. You see, with the increase in commercial food production, dining out more than in, and customers preferring sea salt over table salt, well, that iodized salt doesn’t get as much use anymore.
For one, the salt used in food processing doesn’t contain iodine. So it’s not like people are getting their iodine in packaged goods (although they’re getting their daily intake of sodium!). (15)
Iodine, when added to the table salt you buy from the grocery store, will be labeled iodized salt.
Do Your Own Science Experiment!
Thanks to Scientific American for sharing this experiment to discover whether or not your salt is iodized. (16)
Do You Need Iodine?
If you have some of the common symptoms of iodine deficiency, you should talk with your trusted health professional. Things like brain fog, fatigue, frequent illness, and weight gain could all be signals. (17, 18)
And if you did the experiment above and your salt doesn’t contain iodine, then there’s a good chance you need this vital nutrient.