The role of iodine in skin health
Is the acne diet you are following actually making your skin, energy and hormones worse by lacking this valuable mineral?
You will know by now that I am not one to preach dogmatic dietary advice. One of the missions I had when I set out to heal my acne was to be able to follow as inclusive diet as possible. Every natural practitioner I had visited for my skin had dished out the same advice - give up dairy and gluten - but hadn’t been able to give ANY explanation as to WHY and HOW this would help my skin.
Personally I hate giving up foods, tell me not to do something and it’s then all I can think about doing…..PLUS with my training in nutrition and functional medicine I knew that there was so much more to acne than just the foods we eat.
Looking back I can see that this aversion to restricting my diet actually led me to understanding acne holistically and developing my 4 pillar approach that I use with my clients; BODY, MIND, ENVIRONMENT, HEART. So when I see clients in my clinic avidly following ALL the acne diet advice they have come across, yet still breakout, I am super excited to share what I understand about acne and the real role of diet.
One of the foods that gets a lot of air time in the acne world is dairy. Now this isn’t a review of all the growing research on acne and dairy, but just a little signpost of the risks for some in excluding dairy entirely from your diet. Now avoiding any food group comes with a risk of becoming low in certain nutrients, why I preach a wholefoods diet with as much variety as possible, and what I am seeing in my clinic is low iodine status, as a result of avoiding dairy alongside other iodine rich foods such as sea vegetables and seafood in general, negatively impacting clients skin, metabolism and hormone health.
What is iodine?
Iodine is a trace element required for human metabolic processes, particularly thyroid hormone synthesis.
Iodine is largely provided by dairy and fish in our diets. Whilst most people consume adequate levels there are some groups who may struggle, for instance vegetarians or vegans, as they don’t tend to consume enough of the foods that are rich in iodine.
Iodine can also be found in some vegetables but due to the iodine content of the soil in which foods are grown having wide geographical variance, it is difficult to reliably determine the iodine content of foods.
A classic dietary pattern I see in my clients is avoiding diary and eating v limited amounts of fish in the diet which is why iodine status is on my radar with my female skin and hormone clients
Why do we need to be thinking about iodine in women’s health?
Iodine is also crucial for brain development as well as several aspects of female health. In fact, whilst three quarters of our iodine is found in the thyroid, the majority of the rest is found in breast tissue with some also found in other reproductive tissues. This makes it an important consideration for any woman’s nutrition plan.
Studies show that as well as vegetarians and vegans, teenage girls and young women often don’t consume enough iodine. 1.
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding have also been shown to be prone to iodine deficiency as requirements increase by 50% during pregnancy to support the growing child. Deficiency whilst pregnant has been shown to affect the baby’s brain development and even their IQ and reading ability in later life. 2
Some initial research is showing that iodine may play an important role in optimal cellular function of reproductive tissues. One report even indicated that measuring sodium iodide symporters (which help iodine enter the cell) may be a good way of assessing fertility in the future3. Whilst further analysis is needed to see if this will be of use, all women should ensure that they are consuming enough iodine if they are of childbearing age.
There have been numerous studies recently linking iodine to fibrocystic breast conditions and breast cancer risk. 4One possible mechanism of action is that it is thought iodine can reduce the sensitivity of cells to some of the effects of oestrogen, particularly breast cells, which can result in normalization of breast tissue.
How does this relate to skin health?
Now there sadly isn’t any research that I’ve been able to find showing a link between low iodine and acne. But once you understand the mechanisms behind acne you can see how they are related.
Our thyroid is a master regulator of cellular energy, which then impacts skin health and research has shown a relationship between thyroid conditions and skin conditions including acne and rosacea.
We know that low iodine status can impact thyroid health.
Low iodine has also been shown to negatively impact skin regeneration in the lower layers of the skin.
So where can we find iodine and how much do we need?
The highest iodine concentration occurs in the soil of coastal areas. Naturally, sea vegetables and seafood offer some of the most significant dietary sources of this important micronutrient. The recommended dietary allowance of iodine for adults is 150 mcg/day. This requirement increases to 220 mcg/day in pregnant women, and 290 mcg/day for women who are breastfeeding. The tolerable upper intake level for adults is 1100 mcg/day.
Food, Standard Serving Size = Average Iodine Content (mcg)
Kombu (Laminaria japonica), 1g dried = 2380
Wakame (Undaria pinnatifida), 1g dried = 189
Cod, cooked, 3oz = 99
Cow’s milk, 8oz = 99
Dulce (Palmaria palmata), 1 oz dried = 75
Plain yoghurt, low fat, 8oz = 75
Iodized salt, 1⁄4 tsp = 71
Potato with peal, 1 medium = 60
Shrimp, 3oz = 35
Nori (Porphyra tenera), 1g dried = 34
Turkey breast, 3oz = 34
Navy beans, 1⁄2 cup, cooked = 32
Egg, 1 large = 24 Cheddar cheese, 1.5oz = 22
Can I just take a supplement?
Due to the complex relationship iodine has with the thyroid and autoimmune antibodies, iodine is not something I recommend supplementing without a full thyroid screen (blood test) and testing iodine status (urine test). These are two tests I offer clients inside True Skin Transformation.
I hope you have found this helpful!
Chloe
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1. Bath, S.C., Combet, E., Scully, P. et al. A multi-centre pilot study of iodine status in UK schoolchildren, aged 8–10 years. Eur J Nutr 55, 2001–2009 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-015-1014-y
2. Nutrients. 2011 Feb; 3(2): 265–273. Published online 2011 Feb 18. doi: 10.3390/nu3020265
3. Bilal M, Y, Dambaeva S, Brownstein D, Kwak-Kim J, Gilman-Sachs A, Beaman K, D: Iodide Transporters in the Endometrium: A Potential Diagnostic Marker for Women with Recurrent Pregnancy Failures. Med Princ Pract 2020;29:412-421. doi: 10.1159/000508309
4. J Cancer. 2017; 8(2): 174–177. Published online 2017 Jan 13. doi: 10.7150/jca.17835
