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After we published the salt and fluid retention articles a while back, we had a lot of readers write in asking about iodine, goiter, and high blood pressure.<\/p>\nAfter we published the salt and fluid retention articles a while back, we had a lot of readers write in asking about iodine, goiter, and high blood pressure.<\/p>\n
A goiter is an enlarged mass on the thyroid gland. It\u2019s not a condition; rather, it is actually a symptom of other conditions related to problems with the thyroid gland.\u00a0 The symptoms are pretty striking.<\/p>\n
The tell-tale swelling at the neck near the collarbone is the most obvious, but can be really subtle for some. The sufferer may also experience tightness in the neck and chest and difficulty swallowing and even breathing.<\/p>\n
There were no specific questions about it, but rather, general questions related to what it is, what causes it, and how to treat it.\u00a0 Some of the questions we got related to preventing a goiter from developing, but without increasing sodium because table salt is the best source of iodine.<\/p>\n
This train of thought, while valid, actually leaves out a lot of details regarding this symptom.\u00a0 The most important being that iodine deficiency is not the most frequent cause of a goiter developing for people in developed countries.<\/p>\n
While 3rd-world countries see a portion of their populations suffering goiters developing due to iodine deficiency, this just isn\u2019t the case in more developed countries.\u00a0 The food we eat contains iodine, even if we limit table salt consumption.<\/p>\n
Because our diets are much better than less developed countries, and we are generally healthier overall, our bowels are also more equipped to readily absorb iodine in food we eat.\u00a0 Our bodies absorb every single bit of iodine in the bloodstream.<\/p>\n
So what causes a goiter to develop in our \u201cneck\u201d of the woods? Generally, it is because of pregnancy, specific autoimmune diseases, or infection.<\/p>\n
These causes are extremely limited to very specific portions of the population.\u00a0 Pregnant or post-partum women can frequently experience both goiter development and high blood pressure, and generally both conditions are cured by gaining some distance from the pregnancy post partum.<\/p>\n
The auto-immune diseases are Grave\u2019s disease and Hashimoto\u2019s disease.\u00a0 These are problems with the thyroid that carry a host of other symptoms and can be tested for with specific blood, thyroid, and urine panels that a rheumatologist or endocrinologist will order.<\/p>\n
Viruses and bacterial infections can sometimes invade the tissue of the thyroid gland causing nodule formation and growth, but this is rare.<\/p>\n
Unless you have been tested for thyroid function and your doctor suspects one of these conditions, you really won\u2019t need to start increasing your salt levels just to get at the iodine.<\/p>\n
Even if one of these conditions is present, overdoing the salt isn\u2019t going to help.<\/p>\n
Treatment of these conditions is as limited and specific as the population that suffers from them, including surgery and radioiodine therapy.<\/p>\n
Now, back to the original question-prevention.\u00a0 Will adding more salt or iodine pills prevent goiters from developing?\u00a0 Not really.\u00a0 There are those that would purport that the typical American diet has shown a steady decrease in the amount of iodine present in the past 15 years, but even in light of that there is still enough in most diets to give you all you need every day to have a healthy thyroid.<\/p>\n
People who need supplements have very specific symptoms.\u00a0 In the absence of these symptoms, supplementing will only reduce the amount of money in your wallet, not your risk of developing a goiter.
\nI come back to my original point that I try to emphasize with all my article and program guides, which is eating the right foods in the right amounts, and eliminating foods that are unhealthy, will solve many of your prevention concerns.<\/p>\n
However, I do believe that vitamin supplementation is a key to a healthy lifestyle, since our typical diets don\u2019t provide everything needed in optimum amounts.\u00a0 But taking 42 different pills everyday is going to cause you more harm than good.<\/p>\n
You shouldn\u2019t need an extra iodine pill, even in the wake of the crisis in Japan.\u00a0 Most multi-vitamins have a bit of iodine in them, and it comes generally in an amount of 150 micrograms.\u00a0 Remember- over-supplementing can cause a lot of problems with any vitamin, mineral, or element.<\/p>\n
If you are concerned about your iodine levels or thyroid function, set an appointment with your doctor and have him or her run the tests.\u00a0 Otherwise, relax about it\u2026you\u2019re most likely just fine.<\/p>\n