Seventy to eighty percent of iodine is found in the thyroid gland in the neck. Thyroid hormones control how iodine moves throughout the body, which affects weight and energy. In infants and children, it causes retardation of physical and mental development. Severe hypothyroidism may also cause an extremely enlarged thyroid gland, called a goiter.
Iodine deficiency is rare in the United States due to the widespread addition of iodine to salt.
In developing countries, however, more than one billion people are estimated to be at risk for iodine deficiency disorders. Uses Iodine offers a variety of potential therapeutic uses, primarily in the prevention and treatment of hypothyroidism caused by iodine deficiency. Your health care provider may recommend taking iodine supplements if you have other health conditions, including the following. Fibrocystic breast disease. In clinical studies, patients treated with molecular iodine experienced an improvement in symptoms.