Too much iodine can make kids' necks swell
Adverse effects on thyroid of Chinese children exposed to long-term iodine excess: optimal and safe Tolerable Upper Intake Levels of iodine for 7- to 14-y-old children.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Thyroglobulin increased linearly with iodine intake, but over 3% of kids had high levels regardless of intake — meaning it’s not a useful marker.
Most assume biomarkers like thyroglobulin or TSH should rise predictably with toxin exposure — but here, they flatline even as goiters explode.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid iodine supplements unless prescribed — and check labels on salt, prenatal vitamins, and seaweed snacks. Kids under 14 likely don’t need more than 150 μg/day.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Thyroglobulin increased linearly with iodine intake, but over 3% of kids had high levels regardless of intake — meaning it’s not a useful marker.
Most assume biomarkers like thyroglobulin or TSH should rise predictably with toxin exposure — but here, they flatline even as goiters explode.
Practical Takeaways
Avoid iodine supplements unless prescribed — and check labels on salt, prenatal vitamins, and seaweed snacks. Kids under 14 likely don’t need more than 150 μg/day.
Publication
Journal
The American journal of clinical nutrition
Year
2018
Authors
Wen Chen, Yixin Zhang, Yunmeng Hao, Wei Wang, Long Tan, J. Bian, E. Pearce, M. Zimmermann, Jun Shen, Wanqi Zhang
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Claims (5)
In children aged 7 to 14, higher iodine intake is associated with a predictable rise in thyroglobulin levels, but the proportion of children with very high thyroglobulin levels stays above 3% regardless of how much iodine they consume, suggesting that this measure cannot reliably identify excess iodine.
Scientists have noticed that people who consume more iodine sometimes have a higher risk of goiter, so they suggest maximum daily iodine intake levels of 250 micrograms for children 7–10 years and 300 micrograms for children 11–14 years, but these levels have not been shown to prevent goiter.
In Chinese children between 7 and 14 years old, consuming iodine at levels of 250–399 micrograms per day is linked to a higher likelihood of developing an enlarged thyroid gland, with higher intake levels corresponding to greater risk.
In children aged 7 to 14, elevated TSH levels are common and stay above 10% regardless of whether iodine intake is 200–300 micrograms per day or higher, indicating that TSH levels alone cannot reliably signal too much iodine in this group.
In children aged 7–14, the size of the thyroid gland and the presence of goiter are better signs of thyroid stress caused by too much iodine over time than blood levels of thyrotropin or thyroglobulin, because they change more consistently with the amount of iodine consumed.