How Do I Know I Am Iodine Deficient?

Iodine is one of the most indispensable micronutrients the body needs to function properly. Although it is needed in tiny quantities, getting none at all could lead to severe conditions. It is a mineral that is common in seafood. The effects of this mineral on health cannot be over-emphasized. Some of the health benefits of consuming foods rich in iodine in moderate amounts include; the thyroid gland employs it to make thyroid hormones that in turn helps in the control of growth and development of the body, the repair of damaged cells, and also ensure that the metabolic process of the body goes smoothly.

Nevertheless, it is sad to note that almost one-third of the world’s population is iodine deficient. This is because some people do not even know they are iodine deficient, while on the other hand, some people are at higher risks of being iodine deficient. Such people include;

• Pregnant women
• People who have stayed in countries where the soil lacks enough iodine, like European countries, some parts of Asia, and New Zealand
• Vegans and vegetarians
• People who do not cook with iodized salt

Iron deficiency is a major trigger of many symptoms that can cause severe discomfort, and this symptom can be likened to hypothyroidism, a condition that occurs when the thyroid gland produces insufficient thyroid hormones. Since iodine is employed by the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones, when iodine becomes deficient in the body, the thyroid hormone levels in the body would begin to drop, which would automatically lead to hypothyroidism alongside painful symptoms.

Symptoms of Iodine Deficiency

Swollen Neck

The swollen neck is one of the first and most obvious symptoms of iodine deficiency. In medical terms, it is known as goiter, a condition that causes the thyroid gland to swell. This occurs when the thyroid gland overworks itself in order to meet up with the supply of the thyroid hormones requirements of the body, especially when there is little or no iodine in the body. According to research, the thyroid gland is located in the neck. It is a butterfly-shaped gland that looks small. It produces thyroid hormones with the presence of sufficient iodine in the body. When the thyroid-stimulating hormone signals the thyroid gland about the presence of iodine, thyroid hormones get produced. However, when the body is low on iodine, pressure is placed on the thyroid gland to produce enough hormones in the body, which could lead to a swell and multiplication of the cells in that area on the gland, thereby leading to a goiter.

Although, goiters can be treated, fortunately. Nonetheless, leaving it untreated for a long time can lead to permanent damage to the thyroid gland.

Excessive Weight Gain

When you notice that you are beginning to gain unnecessary and unexpected weight, check your iodine levels. This is because, just as stated earlier, iodine is one of those essential minerals that help quicken the metabolic rate in the body. Now, when this mineral is lacking in the body, the metabolic process begins to slow down. Thus foods, rather than getting converted into heat and energy, would remain in the body for a while, making you add some weight. When the body is glum on iodine, the calories you eat would not be converted but rather stored in your body as fat, which would automatically lead to that thing that scares you the most. Do the math.

However, when you increase your iodine intake, the effects of the deficiency begin to reverse itself, metabolism would pick up again in the body, and you would no longer experience unexpected and unnecessary weight gain.

Constant Fatigue

Weakness is a sign of iodine deficiency. This feeling makes you always tired, fagged out at any little work done, and annoyingly sluggish at work. According to studies, over 70% of people with low iodine levels that lead to thyroid gland issues tend to have problems moving their body easily and fast without being sluggish and slow. This is so because the iodine, which is meant to convert food into energy, is lacking in the body, causing the energy levels to drop and plummet, thereby making you experience more cases of fatigue.

Thus, when you feel weak, as well as experience a constant feeling of fatigue, check your iodine levels and eat iodine-rich foods, but with the advice of a medical professional.

Hair Loss

Another function of the thyroid gland on the body is the supporting of the hair follicles to grow hair. Problems arise when the thyroid levels in the body are not sufficient for the follicles to regenerate, thereby leading to hair loss. This is why people who are iodine deficient might experience hair loss. In fact, some studies have shown that at least 40% of people with low iodine levels are suffering from hair loss, while other studies found that it is most common in people who flaunt a family history of baldness or hair loss.

In other words, if you experience hair loss from iodine deficiency, do the needful and replenish the mineral in your body.

Scaly Skin

The skin also gets affected when the iodine content in the body is low. Research has it that over 60% of iodine-deficient people experience scaly skin. This is because it is a characteristic of the human skin to always regenerate, and this can be only effective and efficient with the help of sufficient thyroid hormone in the body. Remember that thyroid hormone sufficiency in the body is linked to a high or moderate iodine level in the body. Thus, if the iodine content of the body begins to drop, the skin would automatically find it difficult to regenerate, thereby leading to scaly, dry, and flaky skin.

In addition, thyroid hormone helps in the regulation of sweat. When this hormone is underproduced, the individual sweats less, thus, causing the skin to dry out. This may be another reason why the skin turns out to be dry and flaky.

The Feeling of Chills and Unusual Cold

Unusual coolness and chills are symptoms of iodine deficiency. This is because people who have been diagnosed with low thyroid hormone levels are always sensitive to cold, such that with any slight cold, they begin to feel it beyond normal and beyond how others feel it; it is usually more severe for them than how it is for other people.

Remember that the thyroid hormone helps speed up metabolism. When the hormone is underproduced due to low iodine, the metabolic speed in the body drops. This causes the body to produce little and insufficient heat, thus, leading to unusual cold.

Heart Rate

With low iodine levels, you might begin to experience some changes in your heart rate. When your heart beats faster than a normal per minute when you measure it, it means your iodine level is too much, but when it beats slower per minute when you measure it, then your iodine level is low. Try to measure your heart rate by pressing the left part of your wrist while calculating the beats with a stopwatch.

Low iodine levels may cause the heart to beat at a very low rate, thus causing fatigue and weakness, which can expose you to the risk of fainting.

Difficulty Remembering Things

Do you think you do not have a retentive memory? Blame your iodine levels, as they can, in some cases, be the cause of your trouble in remembering things and also learning. If you are a student, this should trigger something inside of you to always keep your iodine levels high and moderate. Do not overdo it, as excessively high amounts can also be risky.

Recent research showed that people whose bodies produce sufficient thyroid hormones have the tendency of remembering things faster and easier than those who do not, and when learning and memory tests were carried out on these two groups of people, those with higher thyroid hormone and iodine levels showed more significant results in terms of solid and high memory retention.

How is this so? The brain’s development and growth are courtesy of iodine coupled with other essential nutrients. Thus, when iodine begins to lack in the body, brain development slows down. More research has even shown that the part of the brain responsible for long-term memory (hippocampus) tends to be smaller in people with low thyroid and iodine levels.

Conclusion

In conclusion, no mineral or nutrient in the body is insignificant. All of them play major and important roles in the body. This is why their levels in the body ought to be checked to make sure the body is not deficient in any, as deficiency could lead to severe results.