Iodine is one of the major components necessary for a healthy thyroid. It may be difficult to get enough through foods, so iodine supplements can play a part in maintaining a functional thyroid.

Iodine is a chemical the body needs but cannot make. Foods don’t always contain the necessary amounts of iodine for thyroid health. To combat deficiencies, iodine has been added to table salt since the early 1920s. Salt used in the food industry doesn’t usually have iodine added.


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As Americans have changed their eating habits and ingest less salt, they might not get the iodine needed. According to Life Extension, only one-quarter of adults gets enough iodine. The impact of iodine deficiency is an important one and a good reason to consider iodine supplements, especially if you’ve had thyroid problems or want to avoid them.

The thyroid is a gland that uses iodine to make hormones. A shortage of iodine can put a strain on the gland and even cause it to become enlarged. This might result in a lump referred to as a goiter. Due to the practice of adding iodine to table salt, seeing someone with a goiter is now rare, although if unchecked, iodine deficiency may make goiters again more common.

If your thyroid produces too little hormone, you experience an underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism. Symptoms include weakness, muscle aches, fatigue, depression, constipation, and heart palpitations. Low levels of thyroid hormone can also result in mental health issues such as poor cognition. An iodine supplement may be right for you.

Here are five benefits of iodine supplements:

1. Iodine supplements that improve your thyroid function will improve and maintain your metabolic rate which makes your organs work better. You will use food more efficiently, sleep better and convert food into energy more effectively.


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2. A healthy thyroid allows your body to use calories more effectively and prevents them from being deposited as excess fat for weight gain, a symptom of hypothyroidism.

3. Getting enough iodine increases the health of your hair, skin and nails. They will look better and rejuvenate faster.

4. If you are pregnant, or plan to become pregnant, iodine is critical for your baby’s mental and physical health. In fact, a lack of iodine can cause miscarriages and female infertility.

5. Iodine supplements that help your thyroid can give you a better state of mind. An iodine deficiency can cause fatigue and depression.

There are no tests to determine if you are iodine deficient. Symptoms are the best indicator and you should discuss them with your doctor.


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