The Healthiest Natural Source of Iodine

"The Healthiest Natural Source of Iodine" Dairy milk supplies between a quarter and
a half of the daily iodine requirement in the United States, though milk
itself has little native iodine. The milk iodine content is mainly
determined by factors like the application of iodine-
containing teat disinfectants. The iodine residues in milk
appear to originate mainly from the contamination
of the teat surface. The teats are sprayed or dipped with
like betadine-type disinfectants, and the iodine just kind
of leaches into the milk.

Too bad most of the plant-
based milks on the market aren't enriched
with iodine, too. Fortified soy milk is probably
the healthiest of the plant milks, but even if it was enriched with iodine,
what about the effects of soy on thyroid function? It's funny, when I searched the
medical literature on soy and thyroid, this study popped up: a cost-effective way to train
residents to do thyroid biopsies. Just stick the ultrasound probe
right on top and go to town. It turns out on ultrasound your
thyroid gland looks a lot like tofu. Anyway, the idea that soy may
influence thyroid function originated over eight decades ago when
marked thyroid enlargement was seen in rats fed raw soybeans, though the
observation that people living in Asian countries have consumed
soy foods for centuries with no perceptible thyrotoxic effects
certainly suggests their safety.

The bottom line is there does
not seem to be a problem with people who have
normal thyroid function. However, soy foods may inhibit
the oral absorption of Synthroid, thyroid hormone replacement
drugs, but so do all foods. That's why we tell patients to take it
on an empty stomach. But you also have to be getting enough iodine,
so it may be particularly important for soy food consumers to make sure
their intake of iodine is adequate.

What's the best way to get iodine?
For those who use table salt, make sure it's iodized. Currently, only half of table
salt sold contains iodine, and the salt used in processed
foods is typically not iodized. Of course, ideally, we
shouldn't add salt at all. Dietary salt is a public health hazard.
Think this title is a little over the top? Dietary salt is the #1 dietary risk
factor for death on the planet Earth, wiping out more than
three million people a year twice as bad as not
eating your vegetables. What's the best source of iodine, then? Sea vegetables! You can get
a little iodine here and there from a whole variety of foods, but the most concentrated source
by far, with up to nearly 2,000% of your daily allowance
in just a single gram— which is like the weight
of a paperclip: seaweed.

Given that iodine is extensively stored
in the thyroid, it can be safely consumed intermittently, meaning you
don't have to get it every day, which makes seaweed use
in a range of foods attractive, and occasional seaweed intake
enough to ensure iodine sufficiency. However, some seaweed
should be used with caution due to its overly high iodine
content, like kelp. Too much iodine can
cause hyperthyroidism, a hyperactive thyroid gland.
A woman presented with a racing heartbeat, insomnia,
anxiety, and weight loss thanks to taking just two
tablets a day containing kelp. In my last video, I noted how the
average urinary iodine level of vegans was less than the ideal levels, but
there was one kelp-eating vegan with a urinary concentration over 9,000.

Adequate intake is when
you're peeing out 100 to 199. Excessive iodine intake is when you
break 300; 9,437: way too much. The recommended average daily intake
is 150 mcg/day for non-pregnant, non-breastfeeding adults, and we may want
to stay below 600 on a day-to-day basis, whereas a tablespoon of
kelp may contain 2,000. I'd stay away from kelp
because it has too much, and stay away from hijiki because
it contains too much arsenic. Here's how much common seaweed
preparations should give you an approximate daily allowance:
two nori sheets, you can literally just nibble on them
as snacks like I do; one teaspoon of dulse flakes, which
you can just sprinkle on anything; one teaspoon of dried arame, which
is great for like adding to soups; or one tablespoon of seaweed salad. If iodine is concentrated in marine
foods, this raises the question of how early hominins living in
continental areas could have met their iodine requirements. Well, here's what bonobos do,
perhaps our closest relatives.

During swamp visits, they
all forage aquatic herbs..

Video Transcript – As found on YouTube

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