This decision regarding iodine outraged a Facebook user from Lithuania. “In England, iodine has already been banned (prohibited – editor’s note), n… those English health, huh (speech not corrected – editor’s note)?” – he reported to his friends and followers on August 24.
The internet user reminded that iodine is necessary for the thyroid gland to produce hormones and listed deficiency symptoms. When this element is lacking, the thyroid supposedly works much harder, so it can enlarge. “2 billion people worldwide,” wrote the Facebook user, but did not specify what is happening to these people.
This number is indicated in the statement of the European Thyroid Association (ETA) and the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE), which they published in February 2024. The organizations responded with the statement to the European Chemicals Agency’s (ECHA) conclusion that iodine is an endocrine-disrupting substance.
“Despite worldwide expanded salt iodization programs, today about 2 billion people are classified as having ‘iodine deficiency,’ and about 50 million people exhibit clinical symptoms,” the statement noted.
How is it really regulated?
The author of the quoted post also added a screenshot of the headline from an unspecified website titled “Why is iodine restricted in the United Kingdom (UK)? Everything you need to know.”
An article with this title was indeed published on the particular.health website, which sells dietary supplements, on March 24 of this year. The headline, as seen, mentions only restriction. The article also does not state that iodine is banned in the UK. This is denied right at the beginning.
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“Is iodine really banned in the UK? – the first sentence asks and immediately answers: – No, iodine is not banned in the UK. This is one of the most deeply rooted misconceptions about supplements.”
It goes on to say that the amount of iodine in dietary supplements is limited to 150 micrograms (µg) per day. This limit is set according to the European Union (EU) food supplement regulations applicable in the UK and corresponds to 100% of the recommended daily allowance for adults. Any product sold in the UK as a dietary supplement must comply with this limit.
The incorrect interpretation of this regulation likely arises from the fact that some countries allow higher additional doses of iodine. Such products are recognized as medicinal products in the UK and are sold with prescriptions. But this does not mean that iodine is completely banned.
Moreover, iodine deficiency in the population’s bodies has been discussed in the UK for manyyears.
How can iodine be obtained
Iodine – gray-black violet metallic luster crystals – is a chemical element, a nonmetal, a halogen (meaning it easily combines with metals and forms salts). It easily evaporates at room temperature – sharp-smelling violet vapors form, poorly soluble in water.
As written in the Universal Lithuanian Encyclopedia, iodine is found in nature dispersed in sedimentary rocks, water from oil and gas wells, seawater, soil, plants, surface drinking water. It is mostly extracted from oil and gas well water, nitrate production waste, marine algae.
In an adult human body, iodine is present in various organs, mostly in the thyroid gland (as a component of the thyroid hormone thyroxine), as well as in muscles, skin, and blood.
It is an essential trace element for living organisms. A person needs 1–3 µg/kg of body weight of iodine per day, more for a growing body and during pregnancy.
Among other things, it helps produce thyroid hormones, regulates metabolism, reduces blood cholesterol levels, activates antibody formation, stimulates oxidation reactions in cells, tones muscles and the nervous system, maintains proper energy levels and brain function, stimulates sexual function, reduces the negative effects of heavy metals.
Its deficiency in food disrupts thyroid function, and excess inhibits thyroid hormone synthesis. This is precisely why the amount of this trace element in dietary supplements is limited.
Iodine is found in milk, yogurt, brine, eggs, meat, potatoes, grains, lemons, garlic, onions, air, quite a lot in marine fish, seaweed. Table salt is iodized.
Additionally, iodine is used as an antiseptic and medicine in healthcare, a reagent in chemical analysis, a catalyst in organic synthesis, for obtaining some very pure metals, and for producing semiconductor materials.
15min verdict: lacks context. Iodine itself is not banned in the UK. Only its free sale in very high doses is restricted.
Publication prepared by 15min in cooperation with Meta, aiming to stop the spread of misleading news on social media. More about the program and its rules – here.
