Whether iodine supplements are required for us to maintain our health may be a matter of opinion. However research findings by a few caring doctors are beginning to show that the answer maybe yes. A recent article published in a prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, brought to attention that in general the UK population is deficient in iodine. The study was based on assessing iodine levels in 810 schoolgirls in the UK aged 14-15 years of age, and it found that 69% were deficient in iodine according to WHO standards. This highlights the need for a thorough investigation of iodine insufficiency in the population and the need for iodine supplementation.

The conventional medical mind-set is that the role of iodine in the body is simply for the production of thyroid hormones from the thyroid gland. This view is held primarily based on research back in the 1940's by Messrs Wolff and Chaikoff, who suggested that any more than 200mcg of iodine would inhibit the thyroid function. The present RDA (recommended daily allowance) for iodine is 150mcg. There is little doubt that this allowance is based on the 1940's study.

However subsequent investigation of this suspect study, as well as more recent research, has proven that the outdated Wolff-Chaikoff study is indeed invalid. In fact more modern research by various doctors, including Drs Abraham, Bernstein, and Flechas, has revealed that approximately 13mg per day of iodine is required by our body to support its normal functioning. If that is the case then iodine supplements may become essential. It is not very likely that normal dietary iodine from the standard western diet can provide that amount of iodine.

Today iodine deficiency is one of the main causes of brain damage in children. Yet it is very easily preventable if people are made aware of the consequences of iodine deficiency, and how to rectify the problem. Thought to be an issue primarily in developing countries, it is also very evident based on the research published in The Lancet that it is a major problem in the United Kingdom today. It is also likely to be a similar problem in other developed countries. The main reasons for the apparent iodine deficiency is due to a diet lacking iodine, poor soils without sufficient nutrients, and increased exposure to environmental pollutants (such as fluoride, bromide, and chloride) which compete with iodine for space in the cells of our body.

It is worth noting that in Japan the average daily intake of iodine is 13.8mg due mainly to their seafood diets. Many studies of populations have concluded that the Japanese are perhaps the healthiest people in the world. So despite the RDA for iodine in the USA being 150mcg, the Japanese people have been consuming around 100 times that amount for generations, and enjoy high-quality health without any evident side effects from excess iodine.

In the USA the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), NHANES III, provided evidence that iodine levels in the population dropped by more than 50% between the early 1970s and the 1990s. Once thought to be a problem that was solved back in the 1920s by the addition of iodine to commercial milk, salt and bread, it is very clear that iodine insufficiency is now recurring. Iodine is no longer added to milk and bread, and today most people have reduced their intake of salt for fear of developing other health issues.

Environmental pollutants and the use of chemicals has reduced the iodine content of soils that our food is grown in, and our increased usage of fluorine, chlorine and bromine has made it difficult for our body to assimilate the reduced amount of dietary iodine. The end result is somewhat concerning if we consider more recent research findings about the importance of iodine to our overall health. Amongst these findings are indications that iodine is important in preventing the risk of cancer. In addition iodine is required in all of our cells, and plays a key supportive role in many areas, including:

• preventing heart problems, diabetes, and fibrocystic breast disease

• regulating our moods, blood sugar, and blood pressure

• enhancing the function of our immune system

Clearly there is a need to revise our outdated and simplified understanding of the role of iodine in the body. Iodine is a natural micro nutrient occurring in nature. Unfortunately for us it is not an attractive topic for any of the large research organizations and pharmaceutical companies to initiate studies, as they are essentially economically driven. Unable to patent and profit from this natural product the research will therefore likely continue to be done as it is now by a small group of concerned doctors with a focus on health rather than disease.

Meanwhile for those of us interested in health it is within our own interests to remain informed of discoveries and advances in this area. From the research I have been following I do believe that iodine supplements have become necessary to support optimal health.