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Iodine supplementation improved my fitness and quality of life

Disclaimer: The content presented here is offered for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as medical advice. You should consult with your physician/care giver regarding your own medical care. I have no financial interest in any of the products or websites that I mention.

For most of my adult life I took a quality supplement which included the RDA of 150 mcg/day iodine. I lived a healthy lifestyle and never took any medications.

Then at age 50 when I began supplementation with a much higher amount of iodine at 12 mg/day, I immediately noticed a significant change. To my great surprise, it has felt like returning to my peak teenage years, with even better sleep quality and much higher testosterone. I have more energy throughout the day and my recovery from exercise is faster. This higher amount of daily iodine has improved my fitness and quality of life. Truly a joyful discovery!

Before starting, I read a variety of published information and studies about potential health benefits and safety of dosage. I highly recommend Dr. David Brownstein's book "Iodine: Why You Need It, Why You Can't Live Without It".

https://www.drbrownstein.com/iodine-why-you-need-it-p/iodine.htm

"Iodine is the most misunderstood nutrient. After 17 years of practicing medicine, I can say that it is impossible to achieve your optimal health if you do not have adequate iodine levels. I have yet to see any item that is more important to promoting health or optimizing the function of the immune system than iodine. Learn what forms of iodine you need and why there is not enough iodine in salt. See how iodine can help: breast cancer, fibrocystic breast disease, detoxification, fatigue, Graves' disease, and Hashimoto's disease. Find out why iodine deficiency may be the root cause of thyroid problems including hypothyroidism and thyroid cancer. Discover how to get iodine in your diet and improve your immune system." ___

Another book that I found very helpful is "The Iodine Crisis" by Lynne Farrow.

http://lynnefarrow.net/book.html

"Thanks to environmental pollutants Iodine deficiency has become a worldwide epidemic. Everybody knows pollutants cause cancer. What they don't know is that these pollutants cause a deficiency that can make us sick, fat and stupid. Iodized salt--supposedly a solution to iodine deficiency-- is actually a nutritional scam which provides a false sense of security. The Iodine Crisis explains how we became so deficient, then shows the time-tested solution to reversing many conditions. Lynne Farrow reveals how she and thousands of other patient-activists changed their lives by researching and using iodine. Frequently Asked Questions cover everything you need to know about iodine. The proof of iodine's benefit is demonstrated by the dramatic case studies shared in this book." ___

I also found the iodine research studies at Optimox to be highly interesting, especially publications #01, #02, and #04. In their research Dr. Guy Abraham and associates found through laboratory testing that 12 mg/day iodine is enough for most healthy adults to achieve optimal iodine levels throughout the body, with many health benefits.

https://www.optimox.com/iodine-study-4 Excerpt from Guy E. Abraham, MD. The Wolff-Chaikoff Effect: Crying Wolf? The Original Internist, 12(3):112-118, Fall 2005.

"To wrap it up, proper amounts of iodine in the food supply should be considered one of a nation's greatest assets. Removing iodine from the food supply is a form major mistake. Supplying daily intake of iodine for whole body sufficiency (100-400 times the RDA) gives protection against goitrogens and radioactive iodine/iodide fallout; improves immune functions, resulting in an adequate defense system against infection; decreases singlet oxygen formation which is the major cause of oxidative damage to DNA and macromolecules, resulting in an anticarcinogenic effect in every organ in the human body; results in a detoxifying effect by increasing urinary excretion of the toxic metals lead, mercury, cadmium, and aluminum, as well as the goitrogens fluoride and bromide; normalizes hormone receptor functions resulting in improved response to thyroid hormones both endogenous and exogenous; and results in better control of blood sugar in diabetic patients; stabilizes cardiac rhythm, obviating the need for the toxic sustained release form of iodine, amiodarone; and normalizes blood pressure without medication in hypertensive patients. Iodine deficiency is the major cause of cognitive impairment, worldwide. Therefore, iodine sufficiency would result in optimal cognitive function, something of great importance to every nation." ___

Historically the Japanese were estimated to consume a similar high amount of iodine at 5.3-13.8 mg/day, mostly from seaweed. Unfortunately as Lynne Farrow notes in her book, in present day seaweed may be polluted with heavy metals, oil spill dispersants, radiation, or other industrial contaminants from our now-polluted seawater. Dr. David Brownstein had a few different brands of seaweed scientifically analyzed by a laboratory and found that about 50% of the samples had very high levels of mercury and bromide, which he indicates can interfere with the body’s ability to use iodine. Also the longer the seaweed has been stored after processing, the more iodine is lost through sublimation into a gaseous state.

For an inexpensive source of iodine, I purchased USP pharma-grade potassium iodide crystals (in fine powder form) from CarolinaChemical. The product was manufactured by SQM, an established chemical company in Chile which is the largest global producer of iodine.

To make an iodine solution, I add 1/8th US teaspoon of potassium iodide crystals (just scooped and leveled off, not packed down, 940-1030 mg on my Weighmax CT20 milligram scale) into 16 US fluid ounces purified water at room temperature in a labeled jar with lid. I stir until the crystals are dissolved and store the solution in a dark location at room temperature.

1000 mg potassium iodide crystals * 0.7645 (76.45% iodine by weight) = 764.5 mg iodine, divided by 64 (number of 1/2 US tablespoons in 16 US fluid ounces water) = 12 mg iodine

A 1/2 US tablespoon of the solution contains 12 mg iodine. I gradually worked up to that daily intake. I read that if suddenly taking high amounts of iodine, some people experience temporary side effects as iodine helps the body excrete toxic bromide, fluoride, perchlorate, etc.

Included in my daily supplementation are the following which Dr. David Brownstein indicated may help the body more efficiently utilize higher amounts of iodine: vitamin B complex, magnesium 600 mg, zinc 30 mg, selenium 200 mcg. Selenium is especially important for thyroid health. I had already been using these supplements at these dosages for many years, so they were not responsible for the noticeable increase in testosterone. Perhaps the iodine flushed out toxic halogens, as suggested by the following.

https://itestosterone.com/iodine-testosterone/ Excerpt from Robert Clark. Iodine Increases Testosterone and Leydig Cell Functionality. 2017.

"One of the receptors that stores halogens in your body is the 'leydig cells' in your testicles.

Leydig cells are responsible for producing testosterone and because iodine and toxic halogens fight for these same receptors and our bodies are under constant attack from toxic halogens, your leydig cells may be compromised and corrupted.

Because iodine can bind to and force excretion of these toxic halogens and in some cases, is the only way to flush them out, iodine may directly improve your leydig cell functionality, therefore increasing your testosterone production."