Iodine

This is a vital trace element found in seafood: in cod, red and brown algae, oysters, herring, sardines, shrimp, seaweed, also present in iodized salt. Dosage – 100-150 μg per day. Iodine deficiency occurs when receiving 10 μg, with a toxicity threshold of 5 mg per day. The human body contains 15-25 mg of iodine, with 50% in the thyroid gland. Toxic dose: 2 mg, lethal dose: 35-350 g. Iodine is characterized by high physiological activity and is essential for the structure of thyrotropin and thyroid hormones. They participate in regulating the speed of biochemical reactions, metabolism of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, water, electrolytes, energy metabolism, body temperature, tissue differentiation, growth, and the development of the body and its neuropsychic system. Human mental development (intelligence quotient) is directly related to iodine. About 1 billion people on earth suffer from iodine deficiency. Iodine deficiency can manifest as hyposecretion of thyroid hormones, goiter formation, hypothyroidism, myxedema, cretinism, decreased intelligence, speech impediments, immunodeficiency. Excess iodine can cause goiter, hyperthyroidism, thyrotoxicosis, iododerma.

Source | Glossary of Most Commonly Used Biomedical Terms and Concepts | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Academician Professor Antanas Praškevičius, Professor Laima Ivanovienė