Herbs & Supplements:
Iodine
Supplement Forms / Alternate Names
•
Iodide, Elemental Iodine
Principal Proposed Uses
•
Correcting Nutritional Deficiency
Other Proposed Uses
•
Cyclic Mastalgia
Your thyroid gland, located just above the middle of your collarbone, needs iodine to make thyroid hormone, which maintains normal metabolism in all cells of the body. Principally found in sea water, dietary iodine can be scarce in many inland areas, and deficiencies were common before iodine was added to table salt. Iodine deficiency causes enlargement of the thyroid, a condition known as goiter. However, if you are not deficient in iodine, taking extra iodine will not help your thyroid work better, and it might even cause problems.
For reasons that are not clear, supplementary iodine might also be helpful for cyclic mastalgia.
Requirements/Sources
The official U.S. recommendations for daily intake of iodine are as follows:
- Infants 0–6 months, 110 mcg
7–12 months, 130 mcg - Children 1–8 years, 90 mcg
- Males and females 9–13 years, 120 mcg
14 years and older, 150 mcg - Pregnant women, 220 mcg
- Nursing women, 290 mcg
Iodine deficiency is rare in developed countries today because of the use of iodized salt.
Seafood and kelp contain very high levels of iodine, as do salty processed foods that use iodized salt.
Most iodine is in the form of iodide, but a few studies suggest that a special form of iodine called molecular iodine may be better than iodide (see What Is the Scientific Evidence for Iodine?).
Therapeutic Dosages
A typical therapeutic dosage of iodide or iodine is 200 mcg daily.
Therapeutic Uses
Iodine supplements have been proposed as a treatment for cyclic mastalgia (breast pain and lumpiness that usually cycles in relation to the menstrual period, also called cyclic mastitis or fibrocystic breast disease).1
What Is the Scientific Evidence for Iodine?
Cyclic Mastalgia (Cyclic Mastitis, Fibrocystic Breast Disease)
Three clinical studies indicate that supplements providing iodine may be helpful in treating cyclic mastalgia.2 These studies suggest that either iodide or iodine (the pure molecular form) might be useful. In the one placebo-controlled trial among this group, a study that enrolled 56 individuals, molecular iodine was found superior to placebo in relieving pain and reducing the number of cysts.
Another of these studies compared molecular iodine to iodide. Molecular iodine was no more effective than iodide, but was deemed superior because it induced fewer side effects and did not affect the thyroid.
Safety Issues
When taken at the recommended dosage (see Requirements/Sources), iodine and iodide are safe nutritional supplements. However, excessive doses of iodide can actually cause thyroid problems! There is also a speculative link between excessive iodide intake and thyroid cancer. For these reasons, iodide intake above nutritional recommendations is not advised except under physician supervision.
View References
Last reviewed March 2002 by Medical Review Board
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