Iodine - What's the big deal?
“Supplementing with high dose iodine may be the safest, simplest, most effective, and least expensive way to solve the healthcare crisis crippling our nation.”
– Dr. Guy Abraham, M.D.
(Endocrinologist, Author, Dedicated researcher of the benefits of iodine supplementation)
This “medicine” has been around for well over a century
“When I was a medical student, iodine in the form of potassium iodide was the universal medicine. Nobody knew what it did, but it did something and it did something good”
– Nobel Laureate Albert Szent Gyorgyi M.D.
(Discovered vitamin C in 1928)
. . . Remembered by medical students with the following phrase (where K and I refers to potassium iodide):
“If ye don’t know where, what, and why, prescribe ye then K and I”
Iodine is possibly the best solution to prevent cancer of the breast, uterus, ovaries, endometrium, prostate and other organs having high iodine presence. However, people who supplement also report needing less thyroid medication, weight loss, and improved energy, mood and mental clarity.
Stadel B, Dietary iodine and risk of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer, The Lancet, 1976
CHART of Iodine Health Benefits
Iodine deficiency is common, due to several dietary and environmental factors in our changing world
However, the major culprit is our current high-level exposure to iodine’s halide antagonists chlorine, fluorine and bromine.
Iodine deficiency – Common and affects more than just thyroid
Food / Supplement sources of iodine
Iodine at work in the body
Government RDAs for iodine are sufficient to ensure thyroid function, but do not recognize the body’s many important extrathyroidal need
Iodine is present and essential in EVERY organ and tissue of the human body, not just the thyroid gland. The thyroid is an organ unique to vertebrates, that combines iodine with the amino acid tyrosine to make the important thyroid hormones (T3 and T4), critical for cellular metabolism rate and protein synthesis and growth. Unfortunately, more recent attentionhas focused only on iodine’s benefit for thyroid disorders, but its historical use as a panacea against other ailments has been neglected (using higher iodine supplementation levels than are needed to deal with just thyroid problems).
Iodine is useful in the following roles:
| Thyroid hormone production | Anti-cancer |
| Trace Nutrient | Antioxidant (iodide) |
| Stimulant | Natural Antimicrobial (elemental form) |
| Expectorant | Reverses fibrocystic breasts |
| Increases secretions (opens ducts) | Important for hormone production |
| Shrinks ovarian and thyroid cysts |
Different tissues concentrate different forms of iodine
| Organ | Primary form of Iodine concentrated |
|---|---|
| Thyroid gland, skin | IodIDE |
| Breasts, Prostate | IodINE |
| Kidneys, spleen, liver, salivary glands, blood, intestines | Both |
Drs. Abraham and Brown have experienced better results from iodine supplementation by using a combination of both iodine and iodide
My clinical experience has proven, beyond a doubt, that a combination of IODINE/IODIDE (E.g. Lugol’s or Iodoral) is much more effective than an iodide only supplement (E.g. SSKI and most other liquid iodide formulations)”.
– David Brownstein, MD
From his book, “Iodine, Why You Need It, Why You Can’t Live Without It”
Iodine absorption / metabolism in the body
Consumed Iodide ions (I–) are easily absorbed through the walls of the digestive tract in the stomach and small intestine duodenum and on into the blood and plasma.
Supplemental elemental iodine (I2) also finds its way into the blood and plasma (in rat studies). That is, provided the oral dosages are high enough. This is inconsistent with the commonly held view that iodine (I2) is reduced to iodide (I–) before it is absorbed systemically from the gastrointestinal tract.
Thrall KD, Bull RJ, Differences in the distribution of iodine and iodide in the Sprague-Dawley rat. Fundam Appl Toxicol. 1990 Jul;15(1):75-81 PubMed
Thrall KD, Bull RJ, Sauer RL, Distribution of iodine into blood components of the Sprague-Dawley rat differs with the chemical form administered. J.Toxicology enviro.Hea;th, 1992 Nov. 37(3) 443-9 PubMed
Iodine is transported in the blood as Iodide ions (I–) (its ionized form)
Iodine is transported in serum proteins and lipids as elemental iodine (I2 )
We do not conserve iodine long-term and so it must be obtained regularly via diet or supplementation. With an iodine deficiency, the body conserves iodine for a while, but if the inadequacy continues, thyroid hormone is slowly depleted.
Iodine and pregnancy
Iodine is the only compound of significance during early pregnancy which can pass rapidly through all tissues of the fetus without the aid of any blood vessel or lymphatic transport. It could be that not only does iodine control natural cell death (apoptosis) in the fetus but may also influence stem cell development.
