Guide to reducing long term effects of radiation exposure
As many pharmacies around the world are quickly selling out of potassium iodide supplements such as Lugol's, Nascent and Iodoral, I decided to post some information about foods containing significant amounts of iodine. As 95% of North American diets are deficient in iodine, now may be a good time to start improving on this.
National Institute of Health (NIH) iodine dosage guidelines:
What dosage of iodine should be used for prevention of radiation sickness?
The following doses have been studied in scientific research:
BY MOUTH:
For radiation emergencies: potassium iodide (KI) should be taken just prior to, or as soon as possible after, exposure. Radiation is most harmful to pregnant or breastfeeding women and children, so KI is dosed according to amount of radiation exposure and age. Radiation exposure is measured in centigrays (cGy). For infants, babies, children, adolescents, and pregnant or breastfeeding women, KI is given if radiation exposure is 5 centigrays (cGy) or more. Tablets can be crushed and mixed with fruit juice, jam, milk, etc.
For birth through 1 month, the dose is 16 mg of KI;
For babies and children over 1 month through 3 years, 32 mg;
For children 3 to 12 years, 65 mg;
For adolescents 12 through 18 years, 65 mg or 120 mg if the adolescent is approaching adult size;
For pregnant or breastfeeding women, 120 mg.
For adults 18 to 40 years with exposure to 10 cGy or more, 130 mg of KI is given.
For adults over 40 years with exposure to 500 cGy or more, 130 mg of KI is given.
The National Institute of Medicine has set Adequate Intake (AI) of iodine for infants: 0 to 6 months, 110 mcg/day; 7 to 12 months, 130 mcg/day.
For children and adults, Recommended Dietary Amounts (RDA) have been set: children 1 to 8 years, 90 mcg/day; 9 to 13 years, 120 mcg/day; people age 14 and older, 150 mcg/day. For pregnant women, the RDA is 209 mcg/day, and breastfeeding women, 290 mcg/day.
Tolerable Upper Intake Levels (UL), the highest level of intake that is not likely to cause unwanted side effects, for iodine intake have been set: children 1 to 3 years, 200 mcg/day; 4 to 8 years, 300 mcg/day; 9 to 13 years, 600 mcg/day; 14 to 18 years (including pregnancy and breastfeeding), 900 mcg/day. For adults older than age 19 including pregnant and breastfeeding women, the Tolerable Upper Intake Level is 1100 mcg/day.
Understanding nutritional iodine deficiency
Whenever iodine is under-supplied, cells in the thyroid gland break down and hemorrhage....Because the thyroid gland controls the speed at which all body activities occur, an under-supply of thyroid hormone results in fatigue, lethargy, a feeling of coldness, loss of sex interest, slowed pulse, low blood pressure, and a tendency to gain weight rapidly on few calories.
- Adelle Davis
According to the World Health Organization, iodine deficiency is the leading cause of impaired cognitive development throughout the world. Other deficiency symptoms of iodine include poorly functioning metabolism, dry, scaly skin, unusual weight gain, constant fatigue, constipation, decreased fertility, frustration, anxiety and depression in varying degrees, goiters and growth abnormalities.
WHO Micronutrient Deficiencies - Iodine
Here is a list from Wikipedia of potential risk factors that may lead to iodine deficiency.
1.Selenium deficiency
2.Pregnancy
3.Exposure to radiation
4.Increased intake/plasma levels of goitrogens, such as calcium
5.Gender (higher occurrence in women)
6.Smoking tobacco
7.Alcohol (reduced prevalence in users)
8.Oral contraceptives (reduced prevalence in users)
9.Perchlorates
10.Thiocyanates
11.Age (for different types of iodine deficiency at different ages)
Wikipedia also mentions that iodine is required not only for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine and to prevent goiter, but also, probably as an antioxidant, for extrathyroidal organs as mammary and salivary glands and for gastric mucosa and immune system (thymus).
Wikipedia webpage about iodine deficiency info
Iodine Supplements Available
Iodine supplements are of two kinds: iodine and iodides. Iodine compounds as supplements aid in maintaining the correct level of estrogen hormone in women. Iodides on the other, hand have a direct effect on the functioning of the thyroid gland. Some of the common iodine supplements that are prescribed as hypothyroidism medication are:
Transformative Nano-Colloidal Detoxified Iodine: This iodine supplement is a nano-colloidal and nascent form of USP iodine crystals which are converted into a non toxic monoatomic iodine form. Once this is consumed, the monoatomic iodine is converted into carrier iodides inside the body. They get converted to the elemental form of iodine and bond with proteins in the muscle tissue, thus, enhancing the functioning of the immune system. Other activities of this iodine supplement include enhancing DNA integrity, maintaining metabolic and endocrine balance and boosting cardiovascular health.
Nascent Iodine: Nascent iodine is an electromagnetically charged form of iodine which is quite similar to forms of iodine naturally produced by thyroid gland.
Potassium Iodide: This iodine supplement is available as tablets, each containing about 0.23 - 130 mg of iodine. Potassium iodide usually blocks excessive intake of radio iodine by thyroid gland, thus, preventing chances of thyroid cancer symptoms. However, its assimilation into body tissues is moderate (20% approximately).
Lugol's Solution: Lugol's solution contains about 6.3 mg of molecular iodine for every drop. It contains 5% molecular iodine and 10% potassium iodide. This iodine supplement has proven to be effective in increasing respiratory tract secretions and inhibiting excessive thyroxine secretion. Overall, this supplement aids in stalling unwanted hormonal secretions in the body.
Iodine-based nutritional / medicinal products (pharmacies)
Lugol's
Nascent
Iodoral
Magnascent
Heritage
Zeotrex
Livatrex
Detoxadine
Prolamine Iodine
Iodomere
Supplements that include significant iodine (health food stores)
Nutriodine
LifeExtension – Sea-Iodine
LifeExtension – Vitamin D3 with Sea-Iodine
Cataplex F
Iodine Plus 2
Foods high in iodine
Some foods with naturally high iodine content include fish, garlic, onions, watercress, sea greens such as seaweed / kelp / dulse / wakame / kombu, Iceland moss, ager-ager, egg-yolk, mushrooms, fish liver oil, pineapple, low-fat yogurt, artichokes, sorrel, soybeans, navy beans, lima beans, potatoes, turkey breast, goat's milk, spinach, turnip greens, Swiss chard, sesame seeds, summer squash and strawberries.
Kelp / Seaweed
Kelp, also known as the sea vegetable, is one of the richest known sources of iodine. According to the World's Healthiest Foods, one-quarter cup of kelp has only 9 calories but provides 276.7 percent of your daily iodine needs.
Wakame, kombu and other seaweed types are all high in iodine.
Haddock Fish
Fish and seafood (incl. cod, shrimp, tuna) in general are high in iodine, and haddock is a very rich source.
Brown rice / Whole grains
Grains are low on the food chain. Although they may have been exposed to pollution and radiation, they do not have the concentration of contaminants found in meat and large fish. The high fiber and phosphorous contents in grains is important with respect to radiation protection, and the binding ability of these substances helps the body remove all poisons.
The natural bulking factor of grains lessens the intestinal transit time, speeding up the elimination of toxins. Whole grains are neither very acid nor very alkaline. They help us maintain the middle-range pH been long proven to increase resistance to radiation. Whole grains provide vitamin B6, which is very important for the thymus. Their calcium content guards against the uptake of radioactive strontium. The vitamin E and selenium in whole grains also helps prevent the cellular damage and aging caused by free radicals.
Foods to temporarily avoid if you are utilizing iodine supplementation for nutritional / medicinal reasons
Cabbage
Some foods contain excessive levels of the minerals manganese and cobalt which interfere with the thyroid gland, extracting iodine. If you are in the habit of eating large amounts of raw cabbage you must ensure you are also getting sufficient iodine.
If you are in an area exposed to radiation, it is possible that eating cabbage may actually reduce uptake of radioactive iodine. Readers, if you have advice on this, please post in Comments section below!
Webapge with links to articles about foods high in iodine
Sugary sweets / Candy / Soft drinks
Drastically the consumption of sugar and sweets to help prevent radiation sickness from pre-existing exposure.
As the research for this piece was done over a period of several hours, please report any errors or omissions by posting in the Comments section below. Any suggestions or other helpful hints on staying healthy in a radioactive environment will also be very much appreciated.
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