OPTIMIZE YOUR HEALTH
Thyroid Awareness

Supplements to Aid Thyroid Function
by Jannet Huang, MD, FRCPC, FACE

Disclaimer:  The information contained in this article is for general educational purposes only. Supplements (herbal and vitamins) should be complementary to a healthy lifestyle as well as appropriate medical evaluation and treatment. Those who are interested in beginning a nutritional supplement should first consult their personal physician.

Contrary to common belief, iodine supplementation may actually be detrimental to thyroid function when a person is not iodine deficient. So are there supplements that may help with thyroid function? Selenium has been found in a recent study to help slow the progression of autoimmune thyroiditis. And iron supplementation has been found to be particularly important for individuals with concurrent hypothyroidism and iron deficiency.

Hypothyroidism can actually be caused not only by iodine deficiency, but also by iodine excess. Intake of inorganic iodide in excess of daily doses of 500 to 1000 mcg inhibits thyroid hormone synthesis, known as the Wolff-Chaikoff effect. The thyroid protects itself from becoming overactive by reducing the uptake of iodide when there is excess intake. This is the rationale for using potassium iodide as a precaution if there was a nuclear accident/attack. Potassium iodide saturates the thyroid to protect it from taking up harmful forms of radioactive iodine from the environment during nuclear fallout. I advise patients against taking excessive iodine supplements which has been widely but falsely claimed to enhance thyroid function.

A recent study in Italy showed that selenium supplementation (77-200 mcg) reduced both post-partum thyroid dysfunction and permanent hypothyroidism in women with antithyroid antibodies indicative of autoimmune (Hashimoto’s) thyroiditis.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational purposes only. Supplements (herbal and vitamins) should be complementary to a healthy lifestyle as well as appropriate medical evaluation and treatment. Those who are interested in beginning a nutritional supplement should first consult their personal physician.

—January 2007

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