Lack of iodine in our bodies linked to cancer and thyroid problems.

Hi Catherine,

Speaking of Breast and Ovarian Cancer and how some of us are at risk for these conditions, did you know that it could be because of a LACK of Iodine in our bodies?

I read an 18 page article, all very technical, but got a lot out of it, and started using Lugol’s Iodine at the rate suggested (12.5 mg. daily). This should balance out hormones, increase thyroid activity and protect us from breast cancer and MANY MORE benefits.

Hopefully, you’ll have the time to read it too. This is something I believe, is not well known.

Thank you,
Bonnie

Dear Bonnie,

We should embrace every opportunity to explore leads like the one you provide here. It’s how we pull the pieces of the puzzle together. Thank you!

Coincidently, May’s edition of Dr Jonathan V. Wright’s Nutrition & Healing newsletter discusses at length this very point, and draws heavily from this same article. So let’s take a closer look at why we need 83 times more of this essential, cancer-fighting nutrient than the “experts” say we do.

According to Dr Wright, if you’re taking “thyroid” for hypothyroidism - whether it’s the whole natural variety or the single-hormone, synthetic type - you’ve probably improved your energy levels, become a bit more alert, lowered your cholesterol and risk of atherosclerosis in general, and improved the health of your skin and fingernails. But unless you’re getting enough iodine, you may also be raising your risk of breast cancer by taking that thyroid supplement.

In a group of women undergoing mammography for screening purposes the incidence of breast cancer was twice as high in women receiving thyroid medications for hypothyroidism (most likely induced by iodine deficiency) than women not on thyroid supplement. The mean incidences were 6.2% in controls and 12.1% in women on thyroid hormones. The incidence of breast cancer was twice as high in women on thyroid hormones for more than 15 years (19.5%) compared to those on thyroid hormones for 5 years (10%).

In addition to reducing breast cancer risk, raising iodine intake to an optimal level might also help women lower their endometrial and ovarian cancer risk. In men, it can help lower prostate cancer risk. And both sexes may simultaneously reduce or even eliminate their need for thyroid supplements altogether by boosting iodine levels. It is a remarkably quick and effective cure for fibrocystic breast disease.

Even if we aren’t taking supplemental thyroid and we’re eating a healthful diet, says Dr Wright, taking a good multivitamin/mineral supplement, and all our major “health markers” (cholesterol levels, blood glucose/insulin levels, etc.) are within normal ranges, we should still reconsider our iodine intake. Making sure we’re getting the full amount our body really needs can only help all our other efforts to stay healthy and cancer-free. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance we’re not getting enough of this essential element.

The RDA barely scratches the surface

Dr. Guy Abraham, former professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and endocrinology at the UCLA School of Medicine, has conducted iodine research for years. Since 2002, he’s published a series of articles arguing that the RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) for iodine is much too low. Although the Institute of Medicine has picked 150 micrograms per day for adults, and less for children, Dr. Abraham argues-convincingly-that 12.5 milligrams (that’s 12,500 micrograms) is the optimal daily amount of iodine, not only for your thyroid but for the rest of your body, too

The article cited above postulates that iodine deficiency, if left without iodine supplementation, will progress to nodular goiter with some of these nodules becoming cancerous. Since simple goiter is more common in women than in men, because of their greater need for iodine, it does not take a supranormal intellect but plain common sense to come to the conclusion that iodine-deficiency will eventually result in a greater prevalence of thyroid nodules in women and subsequently a greater incidence and prevalence of thyroid cancer.

Therefore, it is not surprising that with the decreasing trend of iodine consumption by the U.S. population, there is a marked increase in thyroid nodules resulting in 19,500 new cases of thyroid cancer in 2001, with 14,900 cases in women. This editorial in the May 2002 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism called this increased incidence of thyroid nodules “an epidemic”.

Fact versus Fiction

• Misinformation #1: Iodine deficiency is a thing of the past.

Fact #1: The last National Nutritional Survey (NHANES III 1988-1994) revealed that 15% of the U.S. adult female population suffered from iodine deficiency, defined as urine iodine level below 50 ug/L (2), which is a very low level by any standard.

• Misinformation #2: High consumption of iodized salt prevents iodine deficiency.

Fact #2: Iodized salt contains 74 ug I/gm salt. The purpose of iodization of salt was to prevent goiter and cretinism, not for optimal level of iodine required by the human body. For example, to ingest the amount of iodine needed to control FDB, that is 5 mg I/day (19), you need to consume 68 gm of salt. To reach levels of iodine ingested by mainland Japanese, a population with a very low prevalence of cancer of the female reproductive organs, you need 168 gm of salt.

• Misinformation #3: You may be getting too much I if you live near a coast.

Fact #3: Kung et al (Clin. Endo 53:725-731, 2000), after investigating iodine deficiency in Hong Kong, concluded: “Our experience in Hong Kong has shown that it is not safe to assume that iodine insufficiency does not exist in coastal regions”.

• Misinformation #4: Too much iodine from coastal areas is harmful to the thyroid.

Fact #4: From the study just mentioned, coastal areas do not even supply enough iodine to prevent iodine deficiency. The article by Dr. Shames even has a subsection teaching his readers how to reduce iodine intake! Considering that 15% of his female readers are already iodine deficient, even by the low RDA standard, what a shame!

Iodine therapy can help:

• Breast Cancer
• Detoxification
• Fatigue
• Fibrocystic Breasts
• Graves’ Disease
• Hashimoto’s Disease
• Hypothyroidism
• Improve the Immune System
• And Much More!

Emerging iodine deficiency in Australia

Australia has been considered to be an iodine-replete country, with only isolated pockets of mild to moderate iodine deficiency. However, the results of a study of iodine deficiency and goitre in schoolchildren in Melbourne in 2001 suggested that this assumption may no longer be valid. Researchers found mild iodine deficiency in a cohort of schoolchildren in Melbourne. Results support other data showing mild iodine deficiency in Sydney and Tasmania and the argument for a national study of iodine nutrition.

Ministers noted on the progress undertaken in Tasmania in relation to the Tasmanian Iodine Supplementation Program and the emerging evidence of mild iodine deficiency in Australia and New Zealand. Ministers were supportive of the implementation of a national iodine nutrition study (2003) which should provide further evidence of any emerging deficiencies.

WHO global database on iodine deficiency

Iodine deficiency has been documented in more than 100 countries during the last decades, and the most severely affected countries are found in the developing world. The World Health Organisation has recently posted on the Web an update of the most recent survey information, accessible by country name.

Iodine supplementation - benefits outweigh risks

According to the National Library of Medicine, iodine-induced hyperthyroidism and other adverse effects can be almost entirely avoided by adequate and sustained quality control and monitoring of iodine supplementation which should also confirm adequate iodine intake. Available evidence clearly confirms that the benefits of correcting iodine deficiency far outweigh the risks of iodine supplementation.

So what’s the best way to supplement iodine?

Lugol’s solution can be a bit inconvenient, has a rather metallic taste unless well-diluted, and is easy to accidentally take too much. But Dr. Abraham has formulated a tasteless, easy-to-swallow tablet formula called Iodoral, which contains those same 5 milligrams of iodine and 7.5 milligrams of iodide found in Lugol’s solution. Iodoral is available through compounding pharmacies, some natural food stores, and on-line but remember one tablet daily, not two, contains the optimal dose.

Another formula called Triodide also contains the exact same doses of iodine and iodide, combined with bladderwrack (a sea vegetable often used in natural medicine to treat thyroid problems). It’s also a liquid, but you don’t need a prescription for it as you do with Lugol’s solution: It’s available through natural food stores, compounding pharmacies, etc. Like Lugol’s solution, you need to take two drops of Triodide to get the full 12.5 milligram dose.

I made a few enquiries in local drug and healthfood stores where I live (in Australia) to see whether I could get my hands on the equivalent of Lugol’s solution or something like it. No luck! I’m going to have to either order it in via the internet or make an appointment to see my GP (who may or may not comply with my request).