I had a patient the other day who asked me “Why isn’t there clear guidance on whether or not I should take iodine for thyroid support?” The truth is that research is conflicting and every health practitioner will have their own experience with it so work with someone that you trust. To be even more transparent, there is still a lot about iodine supplementation and thyroid health that we are still trying to figure out (clearly!)

In my opinion, there is “no size fits all” when it comes to iodine supplementation for thyroid health. Iodine is postulated to be the “fuel to the fire” in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Iodine is also suspected to trigger hypothyroidism.

We forget the iodine is basic micronutrient of thyroid hormones. Both triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) are built around a chain of iodine. T3 has 3 iodine blocks while T4 has 4 iodine blocks. Too much iodine can trigger hypothyroidism because of the way the body will store iodine and halt the cellular machinery that makes thyroid hormones – commonly referred to as the Wolff-Chaikoff effect.

I have seen some patients tolerate iodine poorly due to a variety of reasons but for others, iodine was the tipping point for finally treating their thyroid disease and optimizing thyroid function. For many of my patients also struggling with insulin resistance, iodine was also helpful for this.

In my opinion, proper iodine supplementation is worth trying. Just make sure you are working with an experienced healthcare provider you can trust and that the iodine you take is of high quality.