Tikun Ormus - Benefits of Iodine

Nearly 74% of normal, "healthy" adults in Hong Kong may no longer consume enough iodine.

Did You Know This?

Around 60% of the iodine in the human body is stored in the thyroid gland.

Iodine is an essential trace element that is vital for normal growth and development.

According to W.H.O. reports, iodine deficiency is one of the leading causes of mental retardation all over the world.

Iodine controls the functioning of thyroid glands in human body, which in turn has a significant influence on the metabolic processes in the body. The health benefits of iodine help in the optimal utilization of calories, thereby preventing its storage as excess fat.

Other benefits of iodine are the removal of toxins from the body and assistance for the system in utilizing various minerals, like calcium and silicon.

Deficiency Symptoms of Iodine

A deficiency of iodine can have serious effects on the body.

The symptoms of iodine deficiency include frustration, depression, mental retardation, poor perception levels, goiter, abnormal weight gain, decreased fertility, coarse skin, chances of still birth in expectant mothers, constipation and fatigue.

In severe cases, mental retardation associated with diseases such as cretinism, characterized by serious physical malformations, can be the result.

Sources of Iodine

Iodine is present in large quantities in both marine plants and animals.

Health Benefits of Iodine

Iodine is required to ensure proper development and metabolism in humans. Some of its specific health benefits include:

Metabolic Rate

Iodine influences the functioning of thyroid glands by assisting in the production of hormones, which are directly responsible for controlling the body's base metabolic rate.

Metabolic rate affects the efficiency and efficacy of many of the body's organ system and regular processes, including absorption of food, sleep cycles, and the transformation of food into usable energy.

Certain hormones, like thyroxin and triodothyronine, influence heart rate, blood pressure, body weight and temperature. The body maintains the BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) with the help of these hormones, which also helps in protein synthesis.

Ensuring their normal creation and distribution in the body is key to maintaining health, so maintaining the thyroid gland which they come from is essential.

Energy Levels

Iodine also plays an important role in maintaining optimal energy levels of the body by ensuring the efficient utilization of calories, without allowing them to be deposited as excess fats.

Healthy nails, hair and teeth

The health benefits of iodine include the formation of healthy and shiny skin, teeth and hair.

Iodine is an important element for hair care, as a lack of this mineral can result in hair loss.

Reproductive System

Iodine helps in the normal growth and maturity of reproductive organs. A sufficient quantity of iodine in pregnant women is essential to prevent stillbirths or neurocognitive conditions like cretinism in the newborn babies.

It can also lead to gestational hypertension, which can result in a number of complications during infancy.

Iodine also ensures proper movement and growth, along with speech and hearing abilities.

Furthermore, besides affecting the health of the baby once it is conceived, a deficiency in iodine can actually make a woman infertile!

Hypothyroidism

This condition is characterized by an under-active thyroid gland, and results in the general slowing down of all bodily processes as the chemical balance in your body goes off track.

One of the most common results of hypothyroidism is a large increase in weight, because your body simply doesn't burn off the calories of food and turn it into useful energy.

Although hypothyroidism can occur for a number of reasons, not just iodine deficiency, it is still a good idea to increase your intake of iodine and stimulate the hormonal activity that will help you lose the weight and body fat that is so common to hypothyroid patients.

Thyroid and Goiter disorders

Goiter (most typically) is when you see someone with a swollen neck.

Iodine deficiency is widely recognized as the basic cause of Goiter. You should add eggs, SEA salt (NOT table salt), sea food, and dairy products to your diet to avoid iodine deficiency, and also, this often works as a cure for an enlarged thyroid gland.

Warnings

Iodine overdose of more than 2,000 mg could be dangerous, especially in people suffering from kidney ailments or tuberculosis (TB).

When taken in excess, iodine could result in thyroid papillary cancer, rather than helping to prevent it.

Pregnant women and nursing mothers should be cautious not to take iodine except in specifically prescribed doses.

A healthy balance is required, but different people's bodies will react differently to dose amounts, so be careful and observant.

Further Reading

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