I'm thinking of trying a seaweed supplement after reading an article about how much difference it made to Iodine levels in a controlled study. I've copied and pasted it below. Only a small study but looks positive. Anyone tried a seaweed supplement on here?
IT was once harvested by hardy Hebridean fisherman from rocks in the sea and burned on the shore for raw materials and exported across the British Isles.
rich resource: Taking pills containing kelp was found to be equivalent to eating one-and-a-half whole mackerel every day.
Now young women have been advised to take pills derived from Scottish seaweed after researchers concluded they can boost the production of vital chemicals in the body in as little as three days.
A study by scientists at Glasgow University has found that kelp extracted from wild wrack seaweed collected in Outer Hebrides raises low iodine levels in young women and is the equivalent to eating one-and-a-half whole mackerel a day.
Iodine deficiency is one of the main causes of an underactive thyroid, and is known to result in feelings of being run-down and lacking in energy. The condition has also been blamed for causing weight gain, aching muscles and brittle fingernails.
Even a mild lack of iodine during pregnancy can have an impact on children's development in the first nine years of life, leading researchers to say that iodine deficiency in pregnant women in the UK should be treated as an important public issue.
The Glasgow University study was based on 42 women aged 25, taking seaweed supplement capsules over a period of two weeks.
Before the trial, iodine consumption was far lower than the daily minimum recommended intake of 140 micrograms (mcg), while more than half of the group were found to be iodine insufficient.
At the end of the trial the group with low iodine levels showed a significant rise from 93 mcg of chemical present in their systems to each day to 262 mcg per day.