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Are You Getting Enough Iodine?

Dr. Sreelekha Daruvuri

3 Min Read

The small iodized salt container you have on your dining table is actually an unsung hero of your life. For starters, iodine is an essential mineral, which your thyroid gland uses to make thyroid hormones. It helps in keeping your body warm, generating energy, and also promotes a healthy metabolism. You must be surprised to know that in babies too, iodine is fundamentally important for the development of brain and bone, before and after birth. However, our body doesn’t make iodine by itself. So, we have to get it from sources like food and supplements.

Symptoms of iodine deficiency

Normally, the chances of iodine deficiency are higher in people who:

Are pregnant
Follow a strict vegan or vegetarian diet
Don’t use iodized salt
Don’t consume enough dairy products and seafood

Some of the most common symptoms of iodine deficiency include:

Swelling in the neck (due to an enlarged thyroid gland; a condition known as goiter)
Persistent fatigue and weakness
Unexplained weight gain due to slow metabolism
Sudden hair loss due to low thyroid hormone levels that hinder the regeneration of hair follicles
Flaky and dry skin
Being more sensitive to cold than usual
Lowering of heart rate

iodine deficiency symptoms mfine

What iodine deficiency can lead to?

Primarily, a lower intake of iodine can meddle with your thyroid hormone levels and then lead to a list of health issues, often termed as Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD). Hypothyroidism is a thyroid disorder commonly witnessed in people with iodine deficiency. In fact, iodine deficiency during pregnancy is also one of the most common causes of developmental issues in children.

iodine deficiency problems mfine

Are you getting enough iodine?

If your doctor notices any signs in your body suggesting an iodine deficiency, they will recommend an iodine deficiency test, which can be in the form of urine analysis, blood test, iodine patch test, or iodine loading test. The urine analysis is the fastest of the lot but the results aren’t as accurate as that of a blood test and an iodine loading test.

The recommended daily intake of iodine for a healthy adult is 150 mcg per day, which can easily be fulfilled by using upsized salt in cooking and including a few iodine-rich foods like nuts and dairy. However, pregnant and breastfeeding women need more than this for the healthy development of their babies. The reason iodine deficiency is so common all across the globe is that there are only a few good sources of iodine and we can get our hands on the mineral only through food and supplements.

Some of the best sources of iodine include:

Yogurt
Iodized salt
Eggs
Milk
Tuna
Dried prunes
Seaweed
Cod
Corn
Shrimp
Lima beans

iodine deficiency diet mfine

It is important to make sure that we do our bit to help control this outbreak. So stay home, develop healthy eating habits and do not panic! For more diet advice, healthy eating tips and suggestions on multivitamin intake, please reach out to our team of dietitians on the MFine app. Our experts are just a tap away!