Although the body needs only a tiny bit of iodine daily, about 3/100 teaspoon is a micronutrient vital to every body part. Without iodine, the body can’t make thyroid hormones. Thyroid hormones keep us alive. They regulate energy use, generate growth, maintain a constant body temperature, and are critical in breaking down sugars, fats, and proteins for energy. The only place people get iodine is in their diet. If they get too little dietary iodine intake, the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormones. With hypothyroidism, every part of the body is affected. Often, the first sign is swelling of the thyroid gland at the front of the neck. Later symptoms include symptoms of hypothyroidism. Many processes in the body slow down. People feel tired, weak, and have low energy. They gain weight. They feel cold. The heart slows down. Thinking, concentrating, and staying alert becomes harder.
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Iodine deficiency is a rare health condition in the U.S. that can affect anyone regardless of age, sex, race, or ethnicity.
Early signs of iodine deficiency include thyroid gland enlargement (goiter) or mild hypothyroidism symptoms.
Serious symptoms of iodine deficiency, such as confusion, disorientation, slow breathing, a slow heart rate, low blood pressure, hypothermia, or coma, may require immediate medical attention.
Iodine deficiency is caused by low levels of iodine in the diet. You may be at risk of developing iodine deficiency symptoms if you do not eat iodized salt, don’t eat fish or dairy, live far from the sea, or are pregnant or lactating.
Iodine deficiency usually requires a medical diagnosis.
Iodine deficiency generally requires treatment. Iodine deficiency symptoms typically resolve with treatment within a few months.
Treatment of iodine deficiency may include dietary changes, supplements, and thyroid hormone treatment.
Untreated iodine deficiency could result in complications like hypothyroidism, severe hypothyroidism, myxedema coma, pregnancy problems, birth defects, cretinism, stunted growth, developmental delays, deafness, or permanent intellectual disabilities.
Use coupons for iodine deficiency treatments like kelp supplements to save up to 80%.
The earliest sign of iodine deficiency is typically swelling of the thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped gland at the front of the neck. Swelling of the thyroid glad is called a goiter. Symptoms might include:
Nodules or bumps on the thyroid gland
Visible swelling at the front of the neck
Difficulty swallowing
Difficulty breathing
Not everyone with mild cases will have an enlarged thyroid but they can have mild symptoms of low thyroid hormone, such as:
Feeling tired much of the time
Getting worn out easily
Sensitivity to cold
Feeling depressed or blue
Problems with concentrating or thinking
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Iodine deficiency can cause two symptoms: goiter (enlarged thyroid) and hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone levels).
A goiter is a swollen thyroid gland. The thyroid swells when thyroid hormone production is blocked in some way. In response, the pituitary gland overproduces thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) to prod the thyroid gland into making more thyroid hormone. This works for a while, but after a few months, the excess TSH causes the thyroid gland to enlarge. Symptoms of goiter include:
Nodules that can be felt on the thyroid gland
Swelling or a lump at the front of the neck
Trouble swallowing
Difficulty breathing
Choking sensation
Low thyroid hormone causes problems throughout the body. The most common symptoms of hypothyroidism include:
Decreased energy levels
Fatigue
Depression
Slow reflexes
Slow heart rate
Weakened pulse
Cold intolerance
Unexpected weight gain
Facial swelling
Dry skin
Hair loss
Constipation
Muscle aches
Menstrual irregularities: heavy periods, irregular periods, loss of periods
Iodine deficiency causes hypothyroidism, or an underactive thyroid, along with hypothyroidism symptoms. The symptoms, then, are identical. However, hypothyroidism has many causes other than iodine deficiency. Some of these causes may have other symptoms, including thyroid enlargement and low thyroid hormone symptoms.
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Healthcare professionals typically distinguish between four types of iodine deficiency based on the person affected. While these all have the same symptoms, the complications are more serious for some people.
Iodine deficiency in pregnant women is considered the riskiest type of iodine deficiency. Pregnant women need higher iodine levels in their diet. Severe iodine deficiency can result in complications impacting the mother during pregnancy including miscarriage or fetal death. It can also causefetal complications such as birth defects, deafness, dwarfism, and cretinism (lifelong mental disability and short stature).
Neonate iodine deficiency describes babies born with low iodine. The deficiency puts newborns at risk for goiter, hypothyroidism, developmental impairments, and cognitive disabilities. In the U.S., all newborns are tested for thyroid hormone at one day of age before they leave the hospital because of the risks.
Children with iodine deficiency are at risk of goiter, subclinical hypothyroidism, poor mental function, poor school performance, delayed development, and stunted growth. Iodine deficiency in babies and younger children can permanently affect brain development.
Adults with iodine deficiency are at risk for goiter, hypothyroidism, and fertility problems.
See a doctor or other healthcare provider if the thyroid is swollen or you experience symptoms of hypothyroidism. It may be something other than an iodine deficiency, but thyroid problems are usually easily corrected.
To diagnose iodine deficiency, healthcare providers examine the neck, perform a physical exam, and take a medical history. A clinician may also administer a blood test to measure TSH levels. If those levels are high, the clinician will measure thyroid hormone levels and test for antibodies. If the problem is iodine deficiency, urine tests are the usual way clinicians measure iodine in the body.
For adults, the complications of untreated iodine deficiency may include:
Hypothyroidism
Serious hypothyroidism (myxedema coma)
Goiter
In pregnant women, untreated iodine deficiency may cause problems with the pregnancy or the fetus, including:
Miscarriage
Stillbirth
Death of the baby shortly after birth
Birth defects
Cretinism (cognitive disabilities and short stature)
In newborns, untreated iodine deficiency may cause serious complications such as:
Goiter
Hypothyroidism
Intellectual disability
Developmental disabilities
In children, untreated iodine deficiency may cause complications such as:
Goiter
Subclinical hypothyroidism
Stunted growth
Learning difficulties
The only way to remedy iodine deficiency is to increase dietary iodine. This can be done with iodine-rich foods, iodine supplements, multivitamins with iodine, prenatal vitamins with iodine, kelp powder, or the aid of a dietitian.
In rare cases, a doctor may prescribe thyroid hormone replacement, usually levothyroxine, a synthetic form of thyroid hormone.
Iodine supplements typically improve iodine deficiency symptoms in one to three months. Both iodine and thyroid hormone levels normalize by that time. Symptoms gradually improve while taking additional iodine, but some people may take too much iodine and experience symptoms of overactive thyroid.
Iodine deficiency is directly related to a person’s dietary intake of iodine. Adults should ingest about 150 micrograms (mcg) of iodine. Pregnant women should get 220 mcg per day. Women who are breastfeeding should get 290 mcg daily.
Ultimately, iodine comes from rocks and soil but is concentrated in the ocean and animals. The best sources of iodine are saltwater fish, seafood, seaweed, meat, dairy products, and eggs, but anything made with iodized salt is good. Though good for you in many other ways, vegetables have little iodine.
Here’s a list of the best dietary sources for iodine:
Bread made with iodate dough conditioner (sodium iodate)
Two slices provide 200% of the adult recommended daily allowance
Powdered kelp
One gram of powdered kelp provides 130% of the adult RDA
Cod
Three ounces of baked cod provides 100% of the RDA
Seaweed
Two tablespoons of flaked dried seaweed = 77%
Greek yogurt
Three-fourths of a cup of plain, nonfat Greek yogurt = 58%
Milk
One cup of nonfat milk = 57% of the recommended ADA
Iodized table salt
One-fourth teaspoon of iodized table salt = 50%
Other good sources of iodine include:
Fish sticks
Eggs
Tuna
Shrimp
Cheese
Dietary supplements can also help. It’s not uncommon for multivitamins to have a full day’s allowance of iodine. Some prenatal vitamins also contain iodine. Check the package’s list of ingredients to be sure. These vitamins will contain either potassium iodide or sodium iodide. The body better absorbs potassium iodide.
RELATED: How to treat iodine deficiency with diet and supplements
Iodine deficiency is caused by insufficient iodine in the diet. It’s common in developing countries, but it’s rare in places like the United States, where iodine is routinely added to salt and found in many packaged foods.
Iodine deficiency causes hypothyroidism, which affects thyroid function. Low thyroid hormones cause the body to slow down, so depression is a common symptom. However, anxiety symptoms are also commonly experienced by people with an underactive thyroid.
The symptoms of iodine deficiency are identical to those of hypothyroidism. But hypothyroidism has other causes besides iodine deficiency, including autoimmune diseases—the most common cause of hypothyroidism—thyroid cancer, and medication side effects. The only way to discover if the problem is iodine deficiency is to measure iodine in the body. That’s hard to do because most of it is in the thyroid gland. The easiest way to measure iodine is to measure the amount of iodine in the urine.
Iodine and iodine deficiency: a comprehensive review of a re-emerging problem, Nutrients
Iodine deficiency, Cleveland Clinic
Iodine deficiency, American Thyroid Association
How to treat iodine deficiency with diet and supplements, SingleCare
Iodine fact sheet for health professionals, National Institute of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary Supplements
Iodine deficiency and iodine prophylaxis: an overview and update, Nutrients
The iodine deficiency disorders, Endotext
The role of illness-related beliefs in depressive, anxiety, and anger symptoms: an online survey in women with hypothyroidism, Frontiers in Psychiatry
Hypothyroidism treatments and medications, SingleCare
Hypothyroidism vs. hyperthyroidism: compare causes, symptoms, treatments & more, SingleCare
Symptoms of thyroid problems: what are the early signs of thyroid issues?, SingleCare
What causes thyroid symptoms? Related conditions and treatments, SingleCare
Leslie Greenberg, MD, is a board-certified practicing family physician with more than 25 years of doctoring experience. She was a psychology major at Northwestern University near Chicago, then graduated with an MD from the University of Nevada School of Medicine. She completed her family medicine residency at St. Joseph Hospital in Wichita, Kansas. She has trained more than 350 family medicine resident-physicians, been in private practice, and delivered babies for 22 years.
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