When your body doesn’t have enough thyroid hormone, your thyroid gland goes into overdrive. To meet the body’s demand for thyroid hormone, the thyroid gland expands, which leads to the enlargement of your thyroid. If this process goes unchecked, it leads to a
condition called goiter in which your enlarged thyroid causes noticeable neck swelling.
Making sure that your diet contains enough iodine is the best way to ensure that your thyroid creates enough thyroid hormone without enlarging itself.
Since your thyroid gland controls your metabolism, not having enough iodine in your system can lead to
weight gain, fatigue, constipation, and
tendency to feel the cold.
higher thyroid hormone levels do better on tests, and scientists have discovered that healthy thyroid activity is associated with increased cognitive ability. Low thyroid levels can actually impede the
growth and development of your brain, and when you have a chronic iodine deficiency, your
hippocampus shrinks. The hippocampus is critical for memory and learning, so any diminishment in the size of this brain structure will impede your ability to process and retain information.
Women who are pregnant need to
consume enough iodine for two, and they can be more susceptible to thyroid hormone deficiency, which causes hypothyroidism. Iodine deficiency has also been linked to
delayed conception, due to its role in supporting healthy, regular ovulation in women.
Hair and Skin Benefits
linked thyroid deficiency to hair loss. When you don’t have enough iodine, your hair follicles cannot regenerate. This condition can also cause drier skin than usual, including on the scalp.
thyroid gland controls your heart rate, and iodine deficiency can lead to a slow heart rate. When your heart rate is very slow, you tend to have less energy, with increased risk of dizziness.