Basic bromine/iodine (or bromide/iodide) question

[Guest guest]

Hello:

I've been wondering about a basic issue regarding bromide toxicity and iodine. Namely, I understood that, in the absence of iodine, the other halides load up the body's iodine receptors. Then, when there's sufficient iodine, it displaces these (which it can do because its molecular weight is the lowest of the halogens), leading to the excretion of bromide et al.

Since body saturation with iodine is the goal; and since, from what I understand, the other halogens CANNOT displace iodine because their molecular weights are all higher, then wouldn't body saturation with iodine (a Good Thing) ALWAYS lead to excretion of the others? Because they are so prevalent in the environment (and you know that brominated flour must be an issue when Whole Foods specifically notes on its bread labels that they use "unbrominated flour"), they are always being ingested; but if iodine is where it should be, they just move on through (hence the high excretion rates).

In other words, excretion rates should remain high if you are on iodine and are saturated, depending on what you're exposed to the environment. Because the other halogens cannot displace iodine/iodide. It may indicate nothing about toxicity of the body per se, but of the environment. Having high excretion rates in a toxic environment would be NORMAL, with iodine/iodide just sitting there where they should be and saying "Get lost!" to the other halogens?

Is this correct? And if not, why isn't it?

Thank you,

Adrienne in Texas