Description
About iodine Iodine is extremely important for the thyroid gland and necessary to be able to convert tyrosine (amino acid) to the thyroid hormone thyroxine. Furthermore, iodine is needed for all the cells in your body, for the production of all the body’s hormones, for the muscles and the brain. WHO reports that iodine deficiency can cause brain damage and affect the mental health of foetuses( also know as fetuses ) and babies. Iodine deficiency is 6 times more common in women than in men. Iodine is an important component of the thyroid hormone (thyroid hormone) that controls our metabolism and thus affects our health and well-being. Too much of the thyroid hormone increases metabolism, which leads to weight loss and elevated body temperature. Excessive doses can cause overproduction (hyperthyroidism) and can lead to toxic goitre ( also known as goiter ). Too little of the hormone (hypothyroidism) has a negative effect on metabolism, which leads to weight gain, freezing and elevated blood fats. It is important to be aware of whether you are at risk of suffering from a deficiency in order to avoid problematic health effects. Feel free to take the help of our blood test to find out your levels of iodine. Iodine as a supplement Iodine as a supplement is used for fatigue, breast lumps, ovarian and genital cysts, prevention of goitre and infections. Iodine deficiency Iodine deficiency is either due to too low levels of iodine or a deficiency of thyroid hormone which causes the thyroid gland to have problems producing sufficient amounts of the hormone. Women, pregnant women, nursing mothers and people who eat a lot of ready-made food or eat a low-salt diet are mainly affected. The consequence is then so-called hypothyroidism, which is a sub-function of the thyroid gland. Hypothyroidism means that the thyroid gland produces too little of the hormone thyroxine (T4) and causes the thyroid gland to enlarge (form of goitre). The thyroid gland under the chin then grows in a desperate attempt to increase the capacity to increase the production of thyroid hormone. In addition to weight gain, you can suffer from: Elevated blood fats Low body temperature Low combustion Symptoms of iodine deficiency are fatigue, chills, depression, weight gain, dry skin and hair loss. These symptoms may appear without any disease being diagnosed. Iodine deficiency and impaired thyroid function manifest themselves in the same way. Susceptibility to infection, poor circulation, cold hands and feet, PMS, constipation, muscle cramps and muscle weakness can be additional symptoms of deficiency. In children, iodine deficiency can lead to stunted growth and mental development. Taking iodine supplements without knowing for sure that you have an iodine deficiency can be harmful to the body and instead lead to the reverse condition, overproduction of the thyroid hormone, which in the worst case can lead to toxic goitre. Iodine deficiency always manifests itself as a deficiency of thyroid hormone, but a deficiency of thyroid hormone does not necessarily mean a deficiency of iodine. Sources of Iodine Sources of Iodine are seafood. In Sweden, iodine has also been added to salt, which is sold in grocery stores and to restaurants, to prevent iodine deficiency. However, iodine-free salt has better baking properties than iodine-enriched salt, which means that whole and semi-finished products often have low levels of iodine. If you know that you eat a lot of whole and semi-finished products, it can therefore be a good idea to think about your other iodine intakes and also take blood samples to review your iodine levels. Obesity or depression with no connection to the thyroid gland? The thyroid gland directly affects the metabolism and our mental well-being. However, there are other factors that may come into play. More and more studies are now showing the connection between which bacteria we have in our intestinal flora and our weight. For those of you who want to know more about this, you should take a test that looks into your gut health and for those of you who suffer from depression, we can also recommend that you measure your Serotonin . Serotonin is also measured in urine, just like iodine. How to take GetTested’s Iodine Test? When the body has sufficient levels of iodine, the excess goes out of your body through the urine – about 90% of the iodine we ingest is usually excreted. By measuring the amount of iodine per gram of creatinine in the urine, you get a result about whether you have a possible deficiency. The test is a urine test and you collect the sample material by yourself at home. After you’ve placed your order, we will send you a test kit with everything that you’ll need to be able to perform the test. The sample is then sent to our lab for analysis and you will receive your result digitally after the lab has analysed your sample.
