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Excess Iodine

gracee41

Senior Member
Messages
115
I just received results of my urine iodine test. My levels are almost double what they should be. I have high cortisol and have been taking Seriphos to bring it down. Because it is methylated, I've been taking 250 mgs no-flush niacin with it three times per day. I've read a couple of short articles that mention niacin can stop methylation which can cause excess iodine. Has anyone experienced or heard of this?
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
Did you have a serum test also, or have you done a skin test? I never quite get the urine tests - does that mean you're getting rid of all your excess? Does it mean that you're depleting it? Does it mean that you have a lot more left inside? Have you identified a likely source of the extra iodine? Sorry, you asked one question; I asked four. :redface:
 

Critterina

Senior Member
Messages
1,238
Location
Arizona, USA
And go figure, the people who are happy enough to take your money to run the test often can't answer these questions either...
:D Thank you so much, Ema! I needed a good laugh. But if nobody wrote an order for it, most of those people wouldn't take your money and run the test. Oh, but when the doctors own the labs...yep, follow the :moneybag:
 

Lynn_M

Senior Member
Messages
208
Location
Western Nebraska
grace41,
Did you do a spot urine iodine test or a loading iodine test where you take 50 mg. of iodoral and then collect urine for 24 hours? Most iodine literate practitioners don't put much stock in the results of the spot urine iodine test.

To answer Critterina's questions, in regard to the loading iodine test: the more iodine is found in the collected urine, the more replete the person is in iodine. The body doesn't need to hang on to the iodine because it has enough, so it mostly gets excreted. Whole body iodine sufficiency is arbitrarily defined as 90% or more of the iodine load excreted in the 24 hr urine collections. See http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/loadTest.htm.

Dr. Zava of ZRT labs considers the urine iodine loading test as currently practiced to be a flawed test. If you do a google search on "iodine loading test", the 5th result listed is a pdf file by Dr. Zava of ZRT Labs. The file name is Flaw_in_the_Urine_Iodine_loading_Dose. Also see http://www.townsendletter.com/Jan2013/iodine0113.html
 
Last edited:

gracee41

Senior Member
Messages
115
It was a 24 hr urine but I took no iodoral. I also did not eat any seafood or anything with iodine. I will admit I stopped taking my methylfolate for a few days as I was taking quite a few other supplements and just got pushed to the side. I also read if methylation stops, that can cause elevated iodine. Although, I couldn't find that anywhere else. Lynn, thanks for your explanation.
 

gracee41

Senior Member
Messages
115
grace41,
Did you do a spot urine iodine test or a loading iodine test where you take 50 mg. of iodoral and then collect urine for 24 hours? Most iodine literate practitioners don't put much stock in the results of the spot urine iodine test.

To answer Critterina's questions, in regard to the loading iodine test: the more iodine is found in the collected urine, the more replete the person is in iodine. The body doesn't need to hang on to the iodine because it has enough, so it mostly gets excreted. Whole body iodine sufficiency is arbitrarily defined as 90% or more of the iodine load excreted in the 24 hr urine collections. See http://www.optimox.com/pics/Iodine/loadTest.htm.

Dr. Zava of ZRT labs considers the urine iodine loading test as currently practiced to be a flawed test. If you do a google search on "iodine loading test", the 5th result listed is a pdf file by Dr. Zava of ZRT Labs. The file name is Flaw_in_the_Urine_Iodine_loading_Dose. Also see http://www.townsendletter.com/Jan2013/iodine0113.html
It was a 24 hr urine but I took no iodoral. I also did not eat any seafood or anything with iodine. I will admit I stopped taking my methylfolate for a few days as I was taking quite a few other supplements and just got pushed to the side. I also read if methylation stops, that can cause elevated iodine. Although, I couldn't find that anywhere else. Lynn, thanks for your explanation.
 

gracee41

Senior Member
Messages
115
I'm thinking I could have a deficiency since I excreted double the acceptable level. At least it appears this could be the case after researching. Thoughts?