The Importance Of Iodine And Iodide For Health
“Some of the symptoms of iodine deficiency is fatigue, lack of energy, weak concentration and weak digestion”
How Our Body Uses Iodine
Iodine receptors are present everywhere In the body and it is a very important trace mineral for one to have a healthy thyroid gland, breasts, kidneys, liver, brain and so on. Our cellular structure is built on the basis of fats, but to transport fats into the cells, iodine plays a crucial role and these are called iodine lipids.
Iodine is necessary for the production and health of the thyroid gland. And apart from the thyroid gland, several tissues in our body demands the presence of iodine for proper functioning and to enhance health. Breast tissues consume more than six milligrams of iodine and according to the RDA we need 150 mcg of iodine every day in our diet.
However, the soil is badly deficient in iodine due to dangerous chemicals like pesticides, fungicides and herbicides. Also, our drinking water is full of fluorine and chlorine and all these elements – fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine belong to the halogen family, but when these chemicals combine differently they become dangerous. Iodide is the ion state of iodine and occurs when iodine bonds with another element.
Our body absorbs iodine differently and several glands and tissues like the thyroid gland, prostate gland and some organs like the liver, kidney, spleen and salivary gland use both forms iodine and iodide.
So the question that arises is, how can we obtain both iodine and iodide in one compound? Here’s the answer – there’s a compound called ‘Lugol’s solution’ which has both, iodine and iodide.
Lack Of Iodine And Its Effect On Health
Some of the symptoms of iodine deficiency s fatigue, lack of energy, weak concentration, weak digestion etc. It also causes thyroid function deterioration, leading to problems in vitamin absorption, internal temperature control, digestion and metabolic rate. Goiter also could occur because of iodine deficiency.
Additionally, iodine controls the lives of our cells. Skin cells change every three to four weeks and our intestine changes every three to four days. Our blood cells live up to four months. Thus, to be able to control everything in the body and regenerate new cells, iodine plays a very important role! Furthermore, it has been observed that, it is very difficult to control cancer it a patient is deficient in iodine.
What To Eat
It is imperative to focus on foods which are organic and pure. Though it is not necessary to use expensive supplements. you have to find good organic supplements through your regular healthy diet. Good sources of iodine are chicken egg yolks, whole cream, butter and other full dairy products too, provided the animal diet contains nutrients.
The most abundant sources of iodine are sea foods like shellfish, ocean fish and seaweed as these capture iodine from sea water and concentrate it to about 20,000 times. These foods also contain anti thyroid substances and promote hypothyroidism.
What Is Goitrogen?
Goitrogen is caused by toxins in foods and is called toxic goiter. Many foods which are considered healthy, mostly contain goitrogen. All cruciferous vegetables like cabbages, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, mustard greens and bok choy contain goitrogens.
Some legumes like peas, kidney beans, soybeans also contain goitrogen. But we don’t need to avoid all these foods because most goitrogens are heat sensitive and the effect of it can be neutralized by cooking. Fermentation also reduces goitrogenic activity.
Why Is Soy Considered Bad?
Soy is often used as a replacement for meat and dairy. And approximately 50 per cent of the foods contain soy derivatives. Almost every packaged food contains soy in one form or the other, Soy products are bad, because they inhibit the thyroid ability to produce hormones.
Soy products are linked to autoimmune diseases. It also restricts protein digestion in the body and creates gas, bloating and indigestion because it contains protease and trypsin inhibitors and enzymes that split the protein molecules.
So when one eats soya, the protein digestion is in fact shut down, as these protein molecules are not broken down into tiny particles. This process naturally decreases the absorption of amino acids when they reach the small intestine, which in turn creates gastric distress.
Focus On The Quality Of Foods
Due to this deficiency of nutrients, each cell suffers from iodine and iodide deficiency. However, we should focus on the quality of the foods and try to consume only those foods which primarily help our liver and thyroid. Milk thistle is superb for liver health and sea kelp is good for the thyroid gland.
It is therefore recommended that those suffering from iodine related deficiencies should try to solve this issue by altering their diet, instead of starting medication immediately.