Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsPrevalenceCausesDaily RequirementsFoods SourcesSymptomsDiagnosisTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Prevalence
Causes
Daily Requirements
Foods Sources
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that is located in the front and lower part of your neck. Your thyroid is an endocrine gland which produces hormones that play an important part in both infants and adults. In infants, thyroid hormones are important in the development of their brains and the growth of their bodies.
In adults, thyroid hormones affect all of the organs' functions and your metabolism. If you do not consume enough dietary iodine, side-effects from hypothyroidism can be widespread and affect many different functions of your body.
Despite worldwide efforts to make iodine easily accessible through diets, approximately 2 billion people are still at risk of having an iodine deficiency disorder.
While 86% of the world population has access to iodized salt, there are still many countries not considered to be iodine sufficient.
The Chinese were first credited for identifying a link between iodine and the reduction ofgoiters(a side effect of hypothyroidism). While the Chinese did not have knowledge of iodine, they found that consumption of seaweed and burnt sea sponge reduced the risk of goiters as early as 3600 B.C.
In the early 1800s, the manufacturing of gunpowder led to initial iodine discoveries. In turn, this led to further discoveries of thyroid involvement with iodine deficiency disorders. By the 1920s in the United States of America, iodized salt was available in the marketplace and noted to have a major impact in reducing the prevalence of iodine deficiency.
There are certain groups that are more at risk of developing iodine deficiency. These risk factors include people who:
Areas that are at high risk of having iodine-deficient soil include the Himalayas, Alps, and Andes (mountainous areas), as well as South and Southeast Asia (river valleys with flooding).
1:31What is Iodine and How Does the Supplement Work?
1:31
What is Iodine and How Does the Supplement Work?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the amount of iodine you need to consume changes according to your age as well as if you are pregnant and/or lactating.
The Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies has a slightly different recommendation that is a little higher for infants and toddlers:
Foods With Iodine
While iodine can be consumed in iodized salt, you can also get adequate amounts of iodine in the foods that you consume. These types of food include:
Dairy products as well as breads and cereals can be sources of iodine in the United States due to manufacturing or cleaning techniques that are used. You may also find multi-vitamins that provide iodine if they contain potassium iodide or sodium iodide.
Verywell / JR Bee
Pink Himalayan Salt: Benefits Related to the Color
One of the most common findings related to iodine deficiency is the presence a lump on your neck. This lump, also known as a goiter, is not usually a problem and is mostly a cosmetic nuisance.
However, if the lump becomes big enough, it may cause you to cough, have difficulty swallowing, or have difficulty with breathing.
Problematic symptoms of goiters may be caused when the goiter starts to compress your trachea or your esophagus.
Depending on your iodine intake, a goiter may also cause you to have symptoms related to hyperthyroidism (over-functioning thyroid) or hypothyroidism (under-functioning thyroid). If your intake of iodine is only a little below average, you are more likely to have symptoms related to hyperthyroidism.
This occurs because the goiter causes an autonomous region in the thyroid that does not act regularly and produces too much of the thyroid hormone. However, if you consume very low levels of iodine, the goiter will likely cause symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Cretinism
One type of cretinism is called neurological cretinism. This occurs when iodine levels are sufficient during infancy, but the fetus was iodine deficient during pregnancy. This could cause deaf-mutism (deafness that leads to being unable to speak), gait disturbance, and/or muscle spasticity.
While there is no single test to diagnose iodine deficiency, there are several methods that your healthcare provider may use to help determine if you have an iodine deficiency. The most likely cause in seeing a doctor related to iodine deficiency as an adult is the presence of a goiter.
If you have a goiter, your healthcare provider will likely order an ultrasound of your neck to determine the size of the goiter, the location, and other aspects of your thyroid.
A urine sample is a good short-term check of iodine sufficiency. Approximately 90% of all iodine ends up being excreted in your urine.
A urine test could lead to one of the following results:
While a urine test is a good indicator of your current iodine sufficiency, it does not provide adequate information as to your long-term iodine status.
In uncomplicated iodine deficiency, correcting nutritional intake of iodine is the only treatment necessary. If you are suffering from a goiter, nutritional correction may reduce the size of the goiter somewhat. Depending on the size of the goiter, your healthcare provider may recommend takinglevothyroxine(thyroid hormone replacement medication) as well as increasing your iodine intake.
However, older children and adults may not have a large reduction in goiter size with these options.Radioactive iodinemay be used in some cases to treat multiple goiters causing hyperthyroidism; however, the resulting effects of this treatment may lead to hypothyroidism.
A Word From Verywell
Iodine deficiency can result in many signs, symptoms, and in some cases, severe health issues. This is because iodine is an essential component to keeping our thyroid gland functioning—our thyroid affects many essential bodily functions. If you are concerned you are not getting enough iodine in your dietary foods, it is best to consult with your healthcare provider to be sure you are receiving an adequate intake of iodine.
The Health Benefits of Iodine
9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Iodine Deficiency.Leung AM, Braverman LE, Pearce EN.History of U.S. iodine fortification and supplementation.Nutrients.2012;4(11):1740-6. doi:10.3390/nu4111740Kapil U.Health consequences of iodine deficiency.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2007;7(3):267–272.World Health Organization.Iodine supplementation in pregnant and lactating women.Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc.American Thyroid Association.Goiter.Chen ZP, Hetzel BS.Cretinism revisited.Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;24(1):39-50. doi:10.1016/j.beem.2009.08.014World Health Organization.Assessment of iodine deficiency disorders and monitoring their elimination.Sharma M, Aronow WS, Patel L, Gandhi K, Desai H.Hyperthyroidism.Med Sci Monit. 2011;17(4):RA85–RA91. doi:10.12659/msm.881705
9 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cleveland Clinic.Iodine Deficiency.Leung AM, Braverman LE, Pearce EN.History of U.S. iodine fortification and supplementation.Nutrients.2012;4(11):1740-6. doi:10.3390/nu4111740Kapil U.Health consequences of iodine deficiency.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2007;7(3):267–272.World Health Organization.Iodine supplementation in pregnant and lactating women.Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc.American Thyroid Association.Goiter.Chen ZP, Hetzel BS.Cretinism revisited.Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;24(1):39-50. doi:10.1016/j.beem.2009.08.014World Health Organization.Assessment of iodine deficiency disorders and monitoring their elimination.Sharma M, Aronow WS, Patel L, Gandhi K, Desai H.Hyperthyroidism.Med Sci Monit. 2011;17(4):RA85–RA91. doi:10.12659/msm.881705
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cleveland Clinic.Iodine Deficiency.Leung AM, Braverman LE, Pearce EN.History of U.S. iodine fortification and supplementation.Nutrients.2012;4(11):1740-6. doi:10.3390/nu4111740Kapil U.Health consequences of iodine deficiency.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2007;7(3):267–272.World Health Organization.Iodine supplementation in pregnant and lactating women.Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc.American Thyroid Association.Goiter.Chen ZP, Hetzel BS.Cretinism revisited.Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;24(1):39-50. doi:10.1016/j.beem.2009.08.014World Health Organization.Assessment of iodine deficiency disorders and monitoring their elimination.Sharma M, Aronow WS, Patel L, Gandhi K, Desai H.Hyperthyroidism.Med Sci Monit. 2011;17(4):RA85–RA91. doi:10.12659/msm.881705
Cleveland Clinic.Iodine Deficiency.
Leung AM, Braverman LE, Pearce EN.History of U.S. iodine fortification and supplementation.Nutrients.2012;4(11):1740-6. doi:10.3390/nu4111740
Kapil U.Health consequences of iodine deficiency.Sultan Qaboos Univ Med J. 2007;7(3):267–272.
World Health Organization.Iodine supplementation in pregnant and lactating women.
Food and Nutrition Board at the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies.Dietary Reference Intakes for Vitamin A, Vitamin K, Arsenic, Boron, Chromium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Nickel, Silicon, Vanadium, and Zinc.
American Thyroid Association.Goiter.
Chen ZP, Hetzel BS.Cretinism revisited.Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2010;24(1):39-50. doi:10.1016/j.beem.2009.08.014
World Health Organization.Assessment of iodine deficiency disorders and monitoring their elimination.
Sharma M, Aronow WS, Patel L, Gandhi K, Desai H.Hyperthyroidism.Med Sci Monit. 2011;17(4):RA85–RA91. doi:10.12659/msm.881705
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