Iodine is a mineral with numerous vital functions in the body. However, having too little or too much of it can cause problems. New research has shown that lactating women who take too much iodine can end up with a thyroid problem.

You need iodine in order to manufacture thyroid hormones. These hormones are critical for normal growth, therefore highly important for the growth of newborn infants. Exclusively breast fed infants obtain all their iodine from their mother’s milk. If a mother doesn’t provide the infant with sufficient iodine, the child is at risk of delayed growth, impaired IQ and impaired hearing. According to the World Health Organization, 1.9 billion people in the world suffer with iodine deficiency, and it is the most preventable cause of intellectual disability.

Pregnancy and lactation increase a woman’s requirement for iodine, therefore it is always found in pregnancy and lactation-specific vitamin supplements. Iodine is also present in Thyroid Health capsules, in a safe dose of 160 mcg per capsule. Up to 500 mcg of iodine daily is safe for most people, but caution should be used in people with an overactive thyroid gland.

According to research conducted in China, women who took too much iodine while lactating were significantly more likely to develop an underactive thyroid gland.

There is a urine test that can measure your body’s level of iodine. A normal urinary iodine level is between 100 and 300 ug/L. Women who had a level greater than 800 ug/L were significantly more likely to develop an underactive thyroid gland. This is a worry because a lot of people buy extremely high dose iodine supplements off the internet, unaware they could be doing harm to their thyroid gland. Learn more about iodine in our book, "Your Thyroid Problems Solved".

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