Revealed: A Key Secret Ingredient to Ultimate Hormone Health
For most Americans, even those who pay close attention to their diet, their iodine levels are, at best, an afterthought.
But, as we’ll discuss here, maintaining proper iodine levels is absolutely fundamental to achieving first-rate health.
After the public health agencies and food companies removed added iodine from the food supply years ago, the vast majority of Americans are deficient or insufficient in the crucial mineral.
Indeed, the numbers regarding global iodine deficiency, and its dramatic public health consequences, are dire.
“ About 1.5 billion people in 130 countries live in areas at risk of [iodine] deficiencies (IDs,)” notes Food Science & Nutrition . “Reduced mental ability due to IDs occurs in almost 300 million people.”
Let’s discuss why iodine is essential for optimal health, the latest research into iodine, and how I help my LowTE Florida patients safely enhance their iodine intake through diet and supplementation.
What is iodine and why is it important for peak health?
Iodine, an elemental halogen, is classified as an essential nutrient, meaning that your body requires it but cannot synthesize it on its own.
Therefore, iodine must be sourced from outside the body, usually through the diet but also through supplementation.
Why is optimal iodine intake critical?
The most important and best-known role that iodine plays in human health is in supporting the thyroid, that butterfly-shaped gland that rests at the center of the throat.
“The main biological function of iodine concerns its role in the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones (THs) by the thyroid gland,” according to medical journal Nutrients .
The thyroid hormones, in turn — which include triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) are critical for maintaining high metabolism (elevated energy levels and appropriate fat burning), mental clarity, weight management, and hair, skin, and nail health.
Hypothyroidism, a common chronic health condition referring to low thyroid levels impacting millions of Americans. According to Harvard Medical School , as much as 13% of women over age 35 suffer from hypothyroidism, causing chronic fatigue and increasing heart disease risk, among many other negative health impacts.
(I dive in-depth into the critical role that thyroid hormones play in anti-aging health in my recently published book, “Are You Hormone Curious?” Get your free copy today !)
Even though its promotion of healthy thyroid levels alone would be enough cause to pay close attention to your iodine levels, this critical nutrient iodine is so much more. Research over the past several decades has uncovered numerous other health-promoting properties of iodine, including:
- Free radical scavenging as a powerful antioxidant
- Immune support via antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal activity
- Health fetal development in pregnant and nursing mothers
- Keeping glandular tissues healthy and whole (the uterus, prostate, ovaries, breasts, etc.)
- Prevention of various cancers, especially breast cancer
On the last score, breast cancer prevention, let’s turn to the Journal of Cancer (emphasis my own):
“ Iodine deficiency has been proposed to play a causative role in the development of breast cancer . Dietary iodine has also been previously proposed to play a protective role in breast cancer , to a large degree based on the increased iodine consumption of dietary iodine in Japanese women, having and exceptionally low incidence of breast cancer …
In animal models of breast cancer, iodin e in supplement or seaweed form, has demonstrated beneficial effects in suppressing breast cancer cell and tumor growth .”
In addition to preventing breast cancer, iodine is also effective for treating “fibrocystic breast disease,” a condition I see often in my patients, affecting up to half of women prior to menopause and associated with painful and “lumpy” breasts:
“ Iodine deficiency is associated with fibrocystic breast disease , which can be effectively treated or prevented with iodine supplementation . Fibrocystic breast disease affects at least 50% of women of child-bearing age and is associated with an increased risk of developing breast cancer.”
Given iodine’s enormous potential for cancer-prevention, why, you might ask, have you never heard about this crucial connection?
There are two main answers, both of which have to do with money in our broken healthcare system:
- Most doctors receive precious little training in nutrition and supplementation for the prevention and treatment of disease, instead receiving an education with a heavy emphasis on pharmaceutical drugs
- As a natural-occurring element, pharmaceutical companies that make a killing off cancer drugs can’t patent iodine, and therefore have no incentive to promote its use
Fortunately, thanks to the hard work to spread the gospel by me and many of my colleagues over the years, we’re beginning to bypass the firewall and break through with our message: iodine is a potential lifesaver, especially for women at risk or diagnosed with breast cancer.
How to safely increase iodine intake through diet and supplementation
Although it’s theoretically possible to achieve ideal iodine intake via diet alone, there’s one huge caveat that we’ll reveal in a moment — the reason I highly recommend supplementation to my patients.
Natural sources of iodine from the diet include:
- Diary (particularly Greek yogurt)
- Lima beans
- Seaweed/kelp
- Eggs
- Tuna*
- Oysters*
- Shrimp*
- Cod*
*While fish is by the far the greatest potential source of iodine — and omega-3 fatty acids, and zinc, and many other nutrients — the major caveat is that, in the modern era, many fish are highly contaminated with mercury and other heavy metals, and, in the case of freshwater fish, "forever chemicals" called PFAS .
“One of the most common environmental pollutants is mercury (Hg)… Its relatively high persistence in the environment, as well as its mobility and toxic effects, mean that Hg can pose a risk to human health,” according to research published in medical journal Toxics . “Studies have shown that fish contain much higher levels of mercury than other animal products from the same area. In addition to mercury, fish can also be contaminated with other metals.”
What that means is that consuming the amount of fish that would be required to achieve ideal iodine intake would put you at risk of exposure to extreme levels of mercury and other toxins.
Not to worry! We have a workaround.
My proprietary LowTE Florida product, LowTE Florida® Iodine+ , is loaded with concentrated, highly bioavailable iodine in the form of potassium iodine and free iodide formulated to the highest standards of independent vetting nonprofit United States Pharmacopeia (USP) — without any of the toxicity risks associated with dietary iodine sources.
https://youtu.be/u05luTa9woY?si=guzZSKLOGjuXE4Jy
Get in touch for cutting-edge hormone treatments and world-class supplements
My career-long commitment is to improve my patients’ health — through the superior hormone treatment called bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT) and other cutting-edge therapies as well as through my roster of independently vetted, highly reviewed supplements at my online LowTE store .
We get your independently-tested, industry-leading supplements out the door and into your hands quickly — and they’re all backed by our no-questions-asked 60-day full refund policy if you’re not satisfied for whatever reason.
For individualized treatment plans, contact me and we’ll develop one together to supercharge your health and restore your youthful vitality.
As always, be your best!
