With all of the panic surrounding the current crises in Japan has triggered a lot of panic here in the U.S. Many people are clamoring for potassium iodide tablets and liquids to such an extent that many suppliers are actually running out. Is this a good thing? Probably not. While the body does need iodine to function and it can help to reduce the risk of thyroid cancer after radiation exposure. But getting iodine in supplement form may not be the best way to go.
What is Iodine and What Does it Do?
To put it simply, iodine is a chemical element that the body must have. The body cannot make it or store it; iodine must come from the diet. It is essential for the production of thyroid hormones that regulate growth and metabolism. Iodine deficiency causes hypothyroidism, which causes symptoms like fatigue, high cholesterol, weight gain, lethargy, mental slowness and goiter. It also causes slowed brain development in children and unborn fetuses.
How does potassium iodide help protect from radiation exposure?
When radioactive iodine (iodine-131) is emitted into the air after some kind of nuclear event, it can be inhaled into the lungs. Once inside the body, the thyroid would absorb it very quickly which would be extremely damaging. Taking potassium iodide immediately before exposure causes the thyroid to absorb the stable iodine and thus have no room left for the radioactive iodine for 24 hours. Keeping the radioactive iodine from reaching the thyroid helps to prevent thyroid cancer and radiation sickness. A single dose is said to protect for 24 hours, higher doses do not offer greater protection. (Center for Disease Control -
http://www.bt.cdc.gov/radiation/ki.asp)
Can you ingest too much iodine?
Absolutely!
Over consuming iodine is very possible and potentially dangerous. According to The National Institute of Health (
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/35.html), “Large amounts or long-term use are
POSSIBLY UNSAFE. Adults should avoid prolonged use of doses higher than 1100 mcg per day (the upper tolerable limit, UL) without proper medical supervision.” And consuming slightly lees than that (1000 mcg) can cause nausea, stomachache, vomiting, burning in the mouth and throat, and possible even coma. Overdoses can be fatal.
Certain people should NOT take potassium iodide at all, these include:
- Those allergic to iodine (of course), shellfish allergies may indicate this
- Those with skin disorders such as dermatitis herpetiformis or urticaria vasculitis
- Those with compromised thyroids
Is there a better way to keep iodine levels high while avoiding these risks?
Yes! You can consume iodine the way that you should consume all essential nutrients, from natural food. Foods rich in iodine include baked goods, eggs, dairy, and seafood, but especially sea vegetables like kelp. For those who are vegetarian or vegan, raw or just don’t like sushi you can get plenty of iodine from BoKU® Super Food and BoKU® Bars. One of our chocolaty bars contains 45% RDI of iodine. And one scoop of BoKU® Super Food contains 86 mcg of iodine (57% of the RDI) and two scoops have 171 mcg and 114% of the RDI! All from natural, organic kelp, chlorella and spirulina which are great for you anyway. Not only are these sea vegetables rich in iodine, they and the other greens in BoKU® Super Food are natural chelators. This means that they help detoxify the body by removing heavy metals from the system. The power to keep harmful agents from entering the body and to purge the body of harmful agents already inside is all part of what makes BoKU® Super Food so super.
