Reducing Iodine

[mhalpin12]

Given the role iodine plays in DH, I'm trying to reduce my intake. I have always taken a daily fish oil supplement to get the good omega 3 fatty acids. I use a high-quality product (Nordic Naturals), and as I checked it's gluten-free status yesterday on the bottle, I noticed that it said not to take it if you are allergic to iodine. I'm assuming the fish from which the oil is derived are the source of the iodine. I can't figure out if it's a LOT of iodine or what. Anyone have trouble with fish oil supplements exacerbating their DH symptoms? I'm wary of them for now, because I"m trying to get the rash to clear up. But this is a very important supplement for me and I don't want to lose it. I'm blanching at the thought of switching to a flax oil supplement as a substitute. Yucky taste.

Also, may I assume that the salt in prepackaged products is iodized? I"m thinking about things like Tostito's and potato chips, etc. Really salty things. I've switched my salt at home to non-iodized, but am wondering about cutting down on other salty things that might be giving me excess iodine.

Thanks!

Michelle in Tn

[GottaSki]

I don't have information specific to Iodine and Celiac Disease, but can tell you I supplement with Fish Oil (had been lemon flavored Cod Liver Oil for about 7 months, but I recently switched to a Fish Oil capsule because I take enough supplements that it was getting hard to drink the spoonful of oil).

I thought that small amounts of Iodine were important to our diet, so I do hope others are able to provide more specific info.

[VioletBlue]

Iodine is important, particularly to the thyroid. That is why most table salt is supplemented with iodine. The average diet minus salt would not supply enough iodine. Without sufficient iodine you run the risk of goiter or worse. The body truely does need it. All seafood is going to be iodine rich including kelp.

Iodine allergies are extremely rare and if it were that you'd react every time you ate ocean fish. Could it be something else causing your reactions?

I don't have information specific to Iodine and Celiac Disease, but can tell you I supplement with Fish Oil (had been lemon flavored Cod Liver Oil for about 7 months, but I recently switched to a Fish Oil capsule because I take enough supplements that it was getting hard to drink the spoonful of oil).

I thought that small amounts of Iodine were important to our diet, so I do hope others are able to provide more specific info.

[Glamour]

There can be a ton of salt in packaged and frozen foods. Unless is says sea salt, they are most likely using the cheapest salt and I would not trust it.

I would think giving up those types of foods for a while would be a good idea until DH is well under control.

I am not sure about fish oil iodine content.

[ChemistMama]

The daily recommended dose of iodine for an adult is 150 mcg/day. One teaspoon of iodized salt has 400 mcg.

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If your fish oil says that people with thyroid problems should be cautious, I wouldn't use them right now. Nordic Naturals sells purified fish oil that has a very low amount of iodine.

Violetblue, there is research that shows that iodine does play a part in DH breakouts, so in general people reduce their intake at least until their DH is under control. I've been a year gluten-free and now I can eat shellfish and kelp without getting a breakout. However, one month into my gluten-free diet, I had mussels and had an awful DH reaction.

celiac.com article about iodine and DH

THis page states that iodine is actually required for the DH reaction:

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[ravenwoodglass]

I have, well had, severe DH. In the beginning I avoided it in supplements in any form. I also avoided shellfish and of course got rid of my iodized salt. I didn't worry about it in things like chips or what is added to canned veggies. I didn't have any issues with those and they didn't trigger a reaction. I could be wrong but I don't think companies routinely add iodized salt to prepared foods. I was very sensitive to even small amounts in supplements or in my iodized salt so I think if it was routinely used I would have reacted to salty foods that were preprepared also. After a year and a half gluten-free I was able to add shellfish back in and now usually have a bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer to add to my rice cooker for a quick dinner. I still don't use iodized salt. I use sea salt only and I have not developed any issues from a lack of supplementing iodine. It has been over 7 years since I stopped iodized salt and I doubt I will ever go back to it.

Thank you ChemistMama for the link. All should check those. The most important part to me of one is this-

"Iodine deficiency was frequently observed in landlocked regions of the US at the beginning of the 20th century necessitating iodine fortification of salt, an inexpensive and widely used seasoning. The development of iodine deficiency is no longer a problem, since landlocked regions receive produce grown in coastal areas where soil is rich in iodine."

Just because supplementation was needed over 100 years ago doesn't mean we need to today. Nature and transport of our food to areas that lacked it naturally have IMHO taken care of the issue.

[mysecretcurse]

The reason people are iodine deficient isn't because we don't get it in salt or foods... its because of OTHER toxic halogens such as bromines getting into the body and blocking the absorption of iodine. But that's a whole other huge complicated issue not really related to celiac disease. The iodine is just a part of the reaction which is being caused by gluten or other allergens/irritants (for me, corn, soy, and dairy also cause a reaction to my skin). Avoiding the iodine, an essential nutrient, because of the reaction caused by something else doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but I do understand why you would want to avoid excessive amounts while your DH is healing. Just make sure not to avoid it for long, as its extremely important. I have also wondered about the salt that is in prepackaged foods. There is no way to really know unless you call the company I guess.

[ChemistMama]

Could you post some links where you've seen studies where other halides block iodine absorption? I did some searching on how bromine acts in the body, and the only thing I could find is this weird instance where a guy drank 8 liters of ruby red squirt a day (contains brominated vegetable oil) and he had so much bromine in his system he got a nasty skin rash (they called it 'bromoderma'!)

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[VioletBlue]

Yes I've read that Iodine PLAYS A PART in DH, but that is not the same thing as an allergic reation. A true allergic reaction involes histamines etc. An iodine allergy is rare simply because the human body manufactures it's own iodine and stores it. Someone being allergic to iodine would be like someone being allergic to calcium or iron or magnesium.

If you're going to regulate how much iodine you use you have to understand that it's present in many foods in small amounts, EVEN SEA SALT. Anything harvested from the sea will be rich in iodine, and sea salt is, well, SEA salt harvested directly from the sea.

Supplemented table salt does contain more iodine that sea salt, but sea salt is not 100% iodine free. Iodine can be in any food in trace amounts because it's in the soil in trace amounts. Avoiding iodine entirely is next to impossible. About all you can do is limit exposure by cutting out obvious sources such as table salt. Unless a product specifically says sea salt, it's a really good bet that most packaged foods with salt added use iodinized salt.

The daily recommended dose of iodine for an adult is 150 mcg/day. One teaspoon of iodized salt has 400 mcg.

Open Original Shared Link

Open Original Shared Link

If your fish oil says that people with thyroid problems should be cautious, I wouldn't use them right now. Nordic Naturals sells purified fish oil that has a very low amount of iodine.

Violetblue, there is research that shows that iodine does play a part in DH breakouts, so in general people reduce their intake at least until their DH is under control. I've been a year gluten-free and now I can eat shellfish and kelp without getting a breakout. However, one month into my gluten-free diet, I had mussels and had an awful DH reaction.

celiac.com article about iodine and DH

THis page states that iodine is actually required for the DH reaction:

Open Original Shared Link

[mysecretcurse]

Open Original Shared Link

There is a link to some info.. there is also a lot of good info through that site that helped me when I was doing iodine therapy.

edit, sorry I totally jacked up that link. I don't know why it wont link to the direct page I'm trying for. Anyway, within the iodine forum go to "iodine answers" up at the top and it has a lot of info about halogens and iodine.

[ravenwoodglass]

Yes I've read that Iodine PLAYS A PART in DH, but that is not the same thing as an allergic reation. A true allergic reaction involes histamines etc. An iodine allergy is rare simply because the human body manufactures it's own iodine and stores it. Someone being allergic to iodine would be like someone being allergic to calcium or iron or magnesium.

The reaction folks with DH get from iodine is not an allergic reaction. What it does is to activate the antibodies in the skin. Although it is not a true allergic reaction my doctors note it as an allergy in my records. My doctor for example ordered a CT for me a while back and wrote specifically that I was not to have the iodine injection that is usually done.

Sea salt does have a lesser amount of iodine in it that iodized table salt. Perhaps that is why I was able to tolerate it even at the beginning. It did stop being an issue for me after a year or so on the diet. If someone is having a bad outbreak perhaps they should also avoid the sea salt for a short time till the flare resolves.

[Reba32]

when I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease (hyperthyroid) the endocrinologist told me to avoid packaged foods and table salt, because of the iodine levels.

I eat primarily a whole fresh foods diet, and I use kosher salt and sea salt only. The only "packaged" foods I eat are frozen vegetables and condiments like mayonnaise and salad dressing.

The typical salt intake in the Westernized diet it about 4 times what it needs to be. And as most of us consume iodized talbe salt, and eat mostly packaged foods, we're also getting too much iodine. Plus, it's included in pretty much every single multi-vitimin as well! I take an iodine free multi even.