Iodine is an essential mineral required by your body to control growth, thyroid hormone, cell repair processes, and metabolism. Unfortunately, almost one-third of the worldwide population faces iodine deficiency. However, it usually goes unnoticed. Since iodine helps in the production of thyroid hormone, its deficiency symptoms resemble those of hypothyroidism. But how do you know you have an iodine deficiency? Here are the five silent signs that indicate an iodine deficiency:
- Hair fall
Hair adds beauty to a person’s appearance. The shinier and lustrous the hair, the more attractive a person looks. However, certain conditions like lack of care, poor hair care routine, and iodine deficiency can lead to excessive shedding of your hair, causing thinning on the scalp, bald patches, and hair loss. If you’re taking good care of your hair and still can’t figure out why you’re losing their volume, it may be due to an unbalanced diet, lacking iodine. When your thyroid hormone levels get low, your hair cells cannot regenerate. Over time, it leads to hair loss. According to a study conducted on 700 people, 30% of people with iodine deficiency struggled with hair fall. If iodine deficiency causes this problem, getting enough of this mineral through supplements or iodized salt can solve your hair issues.
- Flaky skin
Everyone wants glowing, youthful skin. Most people tend to invest in expensive moisturizers and remedies if it goes dull or dry to get its softness back. However, sometimes nothing seems to work. Sounds familiar? Do you have flaky and itchy skin? It may be due to an iodine deficiency. Dry skin with cracks or peeling layers often indicates serious underlying problems. Iodine deficiency is one of them. The thyroid hormone in your body control several functions include skin lubrication and sweating. During an iodine deficiency, your body cannot produce sufficient thyroid hormone, consequently reducing sweat production. This leads to dry, flaky skin. It doesn’t end here; no iodine means no skin rejuvenation. Your skin won’t be able to regenerate damaged cells leading to a duller appearance.
- Fatigue
Iodine is essential for the normal functioning of our body. When your body runs low on it, you experience symptoms like fatigue and weakness. According to some studies, nearly 80% of people with low thyroid hormone, which may result from iodine deficiency, feel more sluggish and tired than usual. Besides fatigue, iodine deficiency may also lead to depression. Since you stay lethargic all the time, your productivity level and thinking abilities are affected. This may lead to a build-up of stress and negative emotions, leading to depression. If you have been feeling down lately, both physically and mentally, it is time to increase your iodine intake.
- Always feeling cold
Do your hands and feet stay colder than most people? Do you feel chills even during average weather? It may be a sign of low iodine levels. Your thyroid hormones play an essential role in regulating your body’s temperature. This means that a lack in thyroid hormone production due to low iodine levels can upset your body temperature mechanism, making you feel colder than usual. This happens because the thyroid hormone controls metabolism. The faster the metabolism rate, the more the heat produced. When metabolism slows down in iodine deficiency, your body cannot produce enough heat to keep itself warm. So the next time you feel cold, try iodine-rich foods like shrimp, eggs, and fish.
- Swollen neck
Do you feel like there’s swelling under your neck? It is the most common sign of an iodine deficiency. This condition is known as goiter and is caused by excessive growth of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is a small gland present in front of your neck. Its function is to produce the thyroid hormone. However, in iodine-deficient people, the thyroid gland has to work harder to meet the body’s thyroid hormone demands. This causes its cells to grow excessively, leading to goiter. Luckily, most cases of goiter can be treated by increasing iodine intake.
Until Next Time,
Team Doctor ASKY!