I hope that everyone, male, female, pregnant, non-pregnant, parents, non-parents, can find some value in this post.
Previous: https://steemit.com/family/@annie.oakley/home-school-series-introduction
I am not a medical professional; nothing in this post should be construed as medical or health advice, but rather should be regarded as information presented for your consideration to look further into.
The importance of iodine sufficiency is something we rarely see information on or hear talked about, but is something that can greatly impact our own health as well as the health of our future children.
Iodine is an essential element not only for the production of thyroid horomone; it plays an important role in the health of all of the endocrine glands. The endocrine system is very vital to the proper functioning of our body, and includes the ovaries, mammary (breast) glands, uterus, testes, thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, pineal gland. Important stuff, right?
Iodine sufficiency is also vital in the health of the male prostate, an exocrine gland, which contains large numbers of thyroid hormone receptors. Women and men alike can benefit their reproductive system by ensuring iodine sufficiency before conception and in general. A pregnant woman's iodine sufficiency status can also impact the brain development of her fetus.
Some assert that the recommended daily value of iodine in the USA is enough to prevent goiter, but not enough to prevent a state of iodine deficiency. It is not prudent to assume that consuming iodized table salt can eliminate the risk of iodine deficiency.
There is a study published by the National Center for Biotechnology Information that suggests that iodine sufficiency of pregnant women impacts the IQ of their children, and that there was a greater increase in the child’s IQ when the mother began iodine supplementation 3.5 years before birth.
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15734706
Compared with that of children whose mothers were persistently exposed to ID [iodine deficiency], the total effect size of the 21 entries was an increase of 0.58 SIQP (8.7 IQ points) in the group receiving iodine supplementation during pregnancy. Furthermore, there was an increase on 1.15 SIQP of Binet or 0.8 SIQP on Raven Scale (17.25 or 12 IQ points) for children born more than 3.5 years after iodine supplementation program was introduced. The level of iodine nutrition plays a crucial role in the intellectual development of children. The intelligence damage of children exposed to severe ID was profound, demonstrated by 12.45 IQ points loss and they recovered 8.7 IQ points with iodine supplementation or IS before and during pregnancy. Iodine supplementation before and during pregnancy to women living in severe ID areas could prevent their children from intelligence deficit. This effect becomes evident in children born 3.5 years after the iodine supplementation program was introduced.
- IQ chart visuals for context: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=iq+chart&t=h_&iax=1&ia=images
A couple articles for consideration that include references:
Iodine Deficiency: A Public Health Crisis - https://www.integrativepractitioner.com/topics/digestive-health/iodine-deficiency-a-public-health-crisis/
The Silent Epidemic of Iodine Deficiency - http://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2011/10/the-silent-epidemic-of-iodine-deficiency/Page-01
Here, I would like to issue a strong word of caution:
If you have had any level of chronic iodine deficiency, it is highly possible that your body has developed some state of halide toxicity. If you research iodine supplements, you will see that many people are using Lugol’s Iodine and Iodoral in very large dosages – THIS IS NOT A SAFE WAY FOR A NEAR-PREGNANT OR PREGNANT WOMEN TO TAKE IODINE SUPPLEMENTATION. THIS MAY ALSO NOT BE A SAFE WAY FOR PEOPLE WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS TO SUPPLEMENT WITH IODINE.
A state of halide (fluoride/ine, bromide/ine, chloride/ine) toxicity can manifest in the body even from chronic low levels of exposure when a state of iodine deficiency exists, as those elements are in the same atomic family and can attach to the iodine receptors in the body. The above way of supplementing could start unseating these halides and create a bad situation – possibly severely bad depending on your situation - I would not suggest even considering a halide detox unless you are over a year away from pregnancy. It can be a very long and awful process. If you decide to embark on a halide detox and are experiencing any side effects at all, you should stop at LEAST six months before your pregnancy.
If you are not pregnant/near-pregnant and are interested in researching how to go about doing higher doses of iodine supplementation or a halide detox, please considering adding the following to your search queries: boron, iodine companion nutrients, iodine salt loading, detox baths, sauna detox, glutathione.
To limit your exposure to unwanted halides you could consider adding a water filter to your shower, filtering your drinking water (including fluoride), consuming organic produce whenever possible, and eliminating consumption of all bromated flour baked goods (these days likely requires baking from scratch with ‘vetted’ flour).
For women who are not yet pregnant or anyone looking for a gentler way to supplement with iodine, I would suggest researching ‘topical iodine supplementation’ and consulting with your doctor.
For women who are already pregnant, please consult with a medical professional about the safest way to supplement with iodine.
Next up in this series will be a post exploring why supplementing with Omega-3 fatty acids is not enough, and why pregnant women should consider cutting out all trans fats from their diet.
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Thanks, it was an interesting reading.
But I still have a doubt: adding iodine to babies or kids food improve their IQ points?
Hello Jupiter, I do not make any mention of adding iodine to babies or kids food in this article, but rather, I discuss how the iodine sufficiency/deficiency status of the mother-to-be (who will carry the child in her womb) can affect the IQ of the child she bears.
I certainly would not discount the potential for iodine deficiency in children to negatively impact the development of the growing child's sexual organs (ovaries, mammaries, testes), growth (pituitary gland), and brain development (pineal gland).
and if you are so kind to answer, what would it be the typical food source with good amount of iodine for a pregnant woman (or pregnant to be) in your opinion?
I would caution these women against looking to sea vegetables or fish as a dietary source, as they can be highly contaminated by heavy metals and radioactive contamination - even today the Fukishima disaster remains unresolved, the contamination continues. I'm not necessarily suggesting that these women cut all sea vegetables and fish out of their diet, but rather that they exercise prudence in their choice of products and moderate consumption.
Recommendations would include:
Moderate amounts of organic cranberries or juice. Excessive cranberry consumption can lead to the formation of kidney stones.
Cage-free eggs.
Organic skin on potatoes. Conventionally grown root vegetables 'sponge' up all those excessive pesticides that have saturated the earth they are grown in.
Organic yogurt.
I'm sure there are others. Dried prunes aren't terribly high in iodine but are a decent source, and are also a good source of boron and vitamin k; they could also be good to have on-hand post labor for other reasons :) Our boron deficient soil and that mineral's important role in the proper mobilization of calcium and magnesium is a post for another day though.
I would recommend that the above foods be added to the diet in a complimentary role, but not be viewed as adequate replacement of a standard prenatal vitamin that also contains iodine, selenium, and either a natural form of folate or folinic acid instead of folic acid. Cheers.
Thank you very much for your answer and for your time.
sounds a bit risky, if you ask me.
Don't know if its an experiment I'd risk.
Can you clarify? Are you referring to the halide detox or iodine supplementation in general?
Regarding the halide detox, it is indeed risky irregardless of whether it occurs intentionally or not, and that is why I have issued extreme caution on that matter. For me personally, 7 years ago I was dying from late stage lyme disease that was still undiagnosed at that time, and was struggling with the onset of acute kidney and liver failure; it was a terrifying experience. I have embarked on many 'risky' endeavors these past several years in a bid for life.
The halide detox was especially difficult and I was unable to complete it, but I felt like it helped me tremendously. For people who are coasting along through life comfortably in good health, I would not recommend going out of their way to upset the apple cart; iodine can be supplemented in far gentler ways.
If it is iodine supplementation which you are referring to as risky, can you expound? The typical Japanese dietary intake includes dozens of times more iodine than the standard American Diet.
Very interesting. I have my three children in a Christian school, ages 16, 14, and 12, but believe you are doing a noble thing with this series on homeschooling. Best wishes and God Bless!
Great post.
I take iodine drops everyday.
Very informative! Thank you so much! <3