The hazards of excessive iodine supplementation on human health mainly include the following aspects:

1, leading to diseases

The most common effects of excessive iodine supplementation on thyroid function are iodine goiter and hyperiodinemic hyperthyroidism. The relationship between iodine deficiency and goiter is becoming more and more understood, so much so that some people mistakenly believe that the more iodine intake the lower the incidence of goiter. In fact, it is not, iodine eat more, far more than the normal physiological needs of iodine, will also make the thyroid gland pathologically enlarged, medically known as iodine-induced goiter.

The reason why eating too much iodine will lead to goiter is that too much iodine in the body will slow down the organic process of iodine in the body, resulting in a decrease in the amount of thyroid hormone production, through the hypothalamus pituitary gland, feedback causes the pituitary gland to secrete an increase in the amount of thyroid stimulating hormone, thus causing goiter. If you eat too much iodine, you can reduce your intake of iodine, and your thyroid gland will recede on its own.

2, affecting intelligence

The effect of excessive iodine supplementation on intelligence The relationship between excessive iodine and intelligence has attracted the attention of experts and scholars only in recent years. A number of epidemiological surveys carried out in the population have shown that the IQ of students in high iodine areas is significantly lower than that of iodine-suitable areas. Most of the animal experimental studies have also proved that excessive iodine load can indeed make the animal brain weight reduction, learning and memory loss, although this effect is not as obvious as the role of iodine deficiency.

3, affecting sexual function

Iodine overdose on sexual function of the United States of America, a study has shown that the intake of iodized salt and male sperm count has a certain relationship, suggesting that the consumption of iodized salt in the United States may lead to a reduction in the sperm count of men. In addition, there have been many reports of the effects of iodine overdose on the fertility of rats, which can not be said to be excessive iodine supplementation brings us another kind of worry.

Extended information:

Iodine in the human body and the use of it

The content of iodine in the human body is 20 to 50 milligrams, of which 20 to 30% is stored in the thyroid gland, and the rest of the iodine is present in tissues such as muscle. Iodine in water and food, mostly in the form of inorganic iodine compounds, can be directly absorbed by the intestines and is mostly utilized by the thyroid gland to form thyroxine. Most of the thyroxine is combined with glucuronic acid in the liver and passes with the bile into the intestines, where about 1/3 is reabsorbed and the rest is excreted in the feces.

1. Maintains the body's energy metabolism and heat production. Reduced thyroid hormone synthesis caused by iodine deficiency leads to impaired basic life activities and reduced physical performance, a role that is lifelong.

2. Promote physical development. Thyroid hormone regulates bone development, sexual development, muscle development and height and weight of children during growth and development. The lack of thyroid hormone can lead to backward physical development, backward sexual development, short body, muscle weakness and other signs and symptoms of backward development.

3, promote brain development. In the fetal or infant brain development within a certain period of time must rely on the thyroid hormone, its lack will lead to varying degrees of backward brain development, after birth will have varying degrees of mental retardation. This impairment is essentially irreversible.

4, iodine is the main raw material for the body to synthesize thyroxine. Thyroxine can regulate the metabolism of the three major nutrients (protein, fat, sugar) and heat metabolism. Too little iodine can make infants and young children congenital thyroid insufficiency, can appear mental retardation, dementia, short stature, hearing loss, bone development retardation, swelling, goiter, etc.. So, mothers should eat more iodine-containing foods during pregnancy and breastfeeding for their babies' needs.

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