Selenium and Iodine are Needed to Protect Your Thyroid Gland

A lack of selenium or iodine¹ exposes your thyroid to unnecessary damage from chemicals, according to a new study testing the adverse effects of a common mosquito insecticide. 

This is interesting because there are many chemicals in the environment that disrupt thyroid function at a level far lower than what causes cancer.  They are allowed in the environment because they don’t seem to cause cancer (at least when tested by themselves).  But no tests are done on more subtle metabolic effects of thyroid disruption.  Here we see that a common insecticide (used in many home sprays) depletes selenium and iodine.  Once these important nutrients were depleted then significant thyroid dysregulation occurred from exposure.

Thyroid problems are now common in our society.  There are numerous chemicals that need to be processed out of one’s body, using up key nutrients that are not only needed for thyroid function but to protect the thyroid (which is why they are being used up).  Once deficient, your thyroid is then more susceptible to damage from the same chemicals that were not as bothersome as long as nutrients were adequate.

In many ways all of the environmental chemicals, many man-made, are an experiment for the genetic survival of the fittest.  Don’t run low on the nutrients you need to keep your thyroid in optimal working condition.