It's crazy. When you think about all the different kinds of foods, we eat we just swallow and hope it all works out for the best. Well, it turns out there are better ways to think about keeping our bodies humming healthfully along. Welcome to nutrition facts. I'm your host. Dr. Michael Greger. Did you know that the mighty thyroid controls your metabolism produces hormones and helps regulate your body temperature. What can we do to support it?
Let's start with a story about plant-based milk and iodine, adequate dietary. Iodine is required for normal thyroid function. In fact, the two thyroid hormones are named after how many iodine atoms, they contain T3 and T4. Now, given that iodine is extensively stored in the thyroid gland itself. It's not something you have to get every day, but your overall diet needs to have some good source. Unfortunately. The common sources aren't particularly Health promoting I die.
Salt. A dairy foods and because iodine based cleansers like Betadine are used a sanitized the gutters which results in some iodine, leaching into the milk. They also add iodine to cattle. Feed some Pro commercial breads have iodine containing food additives. So if you put people on a Paleo type diet and cut out, Dairy, and table salt, they can develop an iodine deficiency, even though they double their Seafood intake, which can also be a source. What about those switching to
Diet, centered around whole plant Foods. I mean, they're also cutting down on ice cream and Wonder Bread and if they're not eating anything from the sea seaweed sea vegetables, they can run into the same problem. Her parents reported striving to feed her only the healthiest foods, the three-year-old only got plant-based unsalted, unprocessed foods with no vitamin supplementation. Now that could have been deadly. I mean, with no vitamin B12, those on Strictly, plant-based diets can develop irreversible nerve damage, but in this case,
A goiter arose first due to inadequate, iodine intake. Here's another case of veganism as a cause of iodine, deficient hypothyroidism in a toddler after weaning. Now, before winning. He was fine because his mother kept taking her prenatal vitamins, which luckily contained iodine, most vegetarians, and vegans are apparently unaware of the importance of iodine and pregnancy just as clueless as they're omnivorous counterparts, the American thyroid Association.
American Academy of Pediatrics have recommended that women even just planning on getting pregnant. Should ingest a daily supplement? That contains 150 micrograms of iodine, hit only 60% of prenatal vitamins, marketed in the US contain this essential mineral. So in spite of the recommendations about 40% black it. Therefore, it's extremely important that pregnant. Breastfeeding, women read the labels to ensure they're receiving an adequate amount.
Women of reproductive age, have an average iodine level 110, which is fine for non-pregnant individuals, but we'd really like to see. At least now 150 in pregnancy. It's basically a 24 hour urine test in which iodine, sufficiency is defined as a hundred micrograms per liter of p and non-pregnant adults, which your average vegan fails to reach in the largest studies done to date out of Boston. The recommended average daily intake is a hundred 50, micrograms a day for most people, which you can get.
Like a cup and a half a cow's milk. Sadly plant-based milks are typically not fortified with iodine averaging. Only about three micrograms per cup and the largest systematic study to date. Although many plant-based milks are fortified with calcium. They only found just three of 47 fortified with iodine of those that were had as much as cows milk, but those that weren't fell short.
Plant-based milk companies brag about enriching their milks with calcium and all often vitamin B12, D vitamin A, but only rarely are attempts made to match the iodine content, but the only reason cow's milk has as much as that does because they enrich the feed or it comes dripping off their Hunters, right? So why don't plant milk companies add iodine to? I was told by a food scientist at silk that my carrageenan video played a role in them switching to another thickener. Hopefully, consider adding items.
And to, or some company will snatch at the market Advantage opportunity.
The researchers conclude that individuals who consume plant-based milks not fortified with iodine may be at risk for iodine deficiency. Unless they consume alternative dietary iodine sources, the healthiest of, which is sea vegetables, which we'll cover next dairy. Milk supplies between a quarter and a half of the daily iodine. Requirement in the United States. Still milk itself has little native iodine the
All
right, and content is mainly determined by factors like the application of iodine. Containing teat disinfectants the iodine, residues in milk production originated mainly from the contamination of the teeth surface, the teacher are sprayed or dipped with like Betadine type disinfectants in the iodine. Just kind of leeches into the milk too bad. Most of the plant-based milks on the market, aren't enriched with iodine to fortified soy. Milk is probably the healthiest of the plant milks, but even if
It was enriched with iodine. What about the effects of soy on thyroid function? It's funny, when I search, the medical literature on soy, and thyroid, this study popped up a cost effective way to train residents to do fibroid. Biopsies. Just stick the ultrasound probe right on top, and go to town. Turns out on ultrasound. Your thyroid gland. Looks a lot like tofu.
Anyways, this is the idea that soy May influence thyroid function, originated over eight decades ago when Mark thyroid enlargement was seen in rats fed raw soybeans though. The observation that people living in Asian countries have consume soy foods for Centuries with no perceptible, thyrotoxic infects of certainly suggests their safety bottom line. There's not seem to be a problem with people who have normal thyroid function. However, soy Foods May inhibit the oral absorption of Synthroid of thyroid hormone.
Placement drugs, but so do all foods, right? That's why we tell patients to take it on an empty stomach. But you also have to be getting enough iodine. So it may be, particularly important for soy food. Consumers to make sure their intake of iodine is adequate. What's the best way to get iodine for those who use table salt? Make sure it's iodized are currently only half of table salt. Sold contains iodine in the salt used in processed foods is typically not iodized. Of course, ideally we
Don't add salt at all. Dietary salt is a public health hazard. Think this title is a little over-the-top dietary. Salt is the number. One diet are a risk factor for death on the planet. Earth wiping out more than 3 million people a year twice, as bad as not eating your vegetables.
What's the best source of vitamin then, sea vegetables, right? You can get a little iodine here and there from a whole variety of foods, but the most concentrated Source by far, with up, to nearly 2,000 percent of your daily allowance in just a single gram, which like the weight of a paperclip. Seaweed, giving that iodine has extensively stored in a thyroid. It can be safely, consumed intermittently. Meaning you don't have to get get it every day, which makes seaweed used in a range of foods attractive and occasional. See, we didn't take enough to ensure.
I dance efficiency. However, some seaweed should be used with caution due to its overly High iodine content. Like, kelp too much iodine can cause hyperthyroidism, hyperactive thyroid gland a woman presented with a racing heartbeat. Insomnia, anxiety, and weight loss. Thanks to taking just two tablets a day containing. Kelp. I noted how the average urinary iodine level of vegans was less than the ideal levels.
Yes, but there was one kelp eating vegan with a urinary concentration over 9,000, right? Adequate intake is when you're peeing out a hundred, a hundred ninety-nine excessive iodine intake is when you break 309,000 437 way too much.
The recommended average daily intake is a hundred 50. Micrograms a day for a non-pregnant, non breastfeeding adults, and we may want to stay below 600 on a day-to-day basis. Whereas a tablespoon of kelp may contain. Mm. Right? I'd stay away from kelp because that's too much and stay away from his cheeky because it contains too much arsenic. Here's how much of common seaweed preparation should give you an approximate daily allowance to Nori sheets. You can literally just
nibble on them as snacks. Like I do 1 teaspoon of dulse flakes, which you can just sprinkle on anything. One teaspoon of dried era May, which is great for like adding two soups or 1 tablespoon of seaweed salad.
If I dine is concentrated in Marine Foods, this raises the question of how early homonyms living in Continental areas could have met their iodine requirements. Well, here's what bonobos do perhaps, our closest relatives during swamp visits. They all forage kwatak rooms. We would love it. If you could share with us your stories about, Reinventing Your Health through evidence-based nutrition. Good nutritionfacts.org / testimonials. We made sure it
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