Iodine Deficiency 2: Measurement Strategies

Testing Iodine levels provides a better foundation for any intervention.

Simply intuitively adding on some iodine can dysregulate those with pre-existing thyroid problems, and can assess the persons ability to use iodine.

To bring in a new word for many of you, Iodine moves through the cell wall through a Sodium/Iodine [Na/I] symporter. If that symporter is down-regulated by a variety of problems, some genetic, it's best to assess that potential challenge on the front end. A symporter is like a channel [e.g. calcium channel] that transports molecules through cell wall.

Take a look at this article if you want to go a bit deeper into the Na/I symporter information.

There are several testing laboratories that provide test kits for Iodine Deficiency Disorder. The testing we use simply provides:

1. An indication of how much iodine is in the diet [Spot Test]
2. A loading or clearance result which tells us how much is retained in the body on a test dose [Loading]

The procedure is simple but a bit troublesome. Clients can do it at home.

1. Save the first urine of the AM in the single Spot Container
2. Take the 50mg Iodoral test dose after that first urine, and thereafter
3. Save [in the second large Loading container] all the urine for next 24 hrs up to and including the first urine in the next AM

The only problem: you really have to be around all day to collect that 24 hour urine. Nope, you can't go shopping and leave some of your urine out in there at the coffee shop. You can, of course take a container, but you can see the slight challenge there without more graphic explanation. Let me think for a moment, a big shopping bag might work…

The kits are sent in from your home to the lab, we read the results and
make recommendations for iodine supplementation on those results.

The results are very interesting:

Low Spot: low iodine already on board. The spot is the definitive test used by the World Health Organization.

Low Load: the test iodine dose taken that AM does not come out [appear] in the urine [UA] because the body pulls out the trial dose to fill empty iodine receptors in the body: Should clear 90% we often see clearance of 20%. Less than 1/3 makes it out in the urine – the client is clearly low on iodine.

Iodine supplementation is easy, does not require a prescription, but does require monitoring: more guidelines later.

Next post: more on clinical findings and why test.