Iodine Excess & Hyperthryoidism

[Guest guest]

http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089%2F105072501300176453

I just finished reading the research article Zed pointed the group (and me to) as proof that iodine induces hyperthyroidism.

1. I found the article frustrating because it never defined what hyperthyroid lab references were. It merely stated that several subjects were hyperthyroid after being euthroid. Well, there is an issue there for me since I would be considered hyperthyroid with lab values that I carry yet I am very much NOT hyperthyroid. My TSH is completely suppressed and my Free T3 is over the top of the range.

2. The referenced the Wolffe-Chaikoff Effect (was debunked later http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/IOD-04/IOD_04.html ) in the beginning when discussing the issues of "high doses" of iodine (up to 150 mg/d) - but states that high iodine down regulates the thyroid by "decreasing the release of T4 and T3 from the thyroid resulting in small decreases in serum T4 and T3 concentrations with compensatory increases in basal and TRH stimulating thyrotropin (TSH) concentrations." Now that is HYPOthyroid not hyper - and TSH increases to create more thyroglobulin for the binding of iodine to create more thyroid hormones. So far it sounds like the thyroid is doing what it should.

NOTE: Low TSH isn't bad. It is a sign that the body is not calling out for more thyroid hormone to be made because the purpose

of TSH is to stimulate the gland to make more. So when you have TSH - you must need more hormone or it wouldn't be

there to stimulate.

3. Later on it again discusses the drop in T4 levels with increased iodine with "higher" TSH concentrations. Since this is not defined I don't know if they mean high as in hyper (suspect that is the case). Doctors talk in terms of high TSH being supressed and Low TSH being high numbered. It's very confusing and should have been defined - there are absolutely no lab values for people studied at all in this document.

4. "Iodine-Induced hyperthyrodism has been reported in patients with a variety of underlying thyroid diseases." So what were these other conditions? Were these the only indivuals who experienced hyper issues? How were they dx'd hyperthyroid? They never told you in the article. It later goes on to state that "Single oral doses of 200, 400 and 800 mgs of Iodine administered to adult goitrous subjects residing in Sudan induced four cases of hyperthyroidism. It never stated how many were in the study - was it 4 or 400? That makes a difference when you are determining statistical significance. How did they determine they were hyperthyroid? Again no supporting data. It does cross reference you back to the original study - Lancet 346: 1563-1564 Increase in thyrotoxicosis associated with iodine supplements in Zimbabwe.

5. Finally their basis for stating that iodine was inducing damage to the thyroid gland was by the finding of serum increase of Interleukin-6. However, upon some quick research I found that increases in TSH levels (higher number not hyper) increase Interleukin-6 so I am not sure how the correlation of hyperthyroid (suppressed TSH) and this would correlate. I would have to dig deeper.

Ok, I have taken a lot of time on this but felt it was important. I need to get back to studying.