Hi there! Thank you for your question. Iodine is an important element that are found in traces of water and soil. Iodine that is ingested in several forms into the body, is then reduced to iodide in the gut. Iodide is mostly absorbed by the stomach and duodenum. Iodine is then removed from the blood circulation by the thyroid gland and kidney.

Normally, the iodine in the blood can last approximately for 10 hours, but this is reduced if the thyroid is being overworked (iodine deficiency or hyperthyroidism). The mean daily turnover of iodine by the thyroid is approximately 60-95 µg in adults. There is from 15 to 20 mg of iodine in the body of a healthy adult in which 70%-80% of it is in the thyroid. Iodide is known to control thyroid function.

Its main effects are to decrease the response of the thyroid to thyrotropin (TSH) and to take iodine, found in many foods, and convert it into thyroid hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroid cells are the only cells in the body which can absorb iodine. These cells combine iodine and the amino acid tyrosine to make T3 and T4.

Thyroid hormones (T3 and T4) are then released into the blood stream and are transported throughout the body where they control metabolism (conversion of oxygen and calories to energy). Every cell in the body depends upon thyroid hormones for regulation of their metabolism.

The normal thyroid gland produces about 80% T4 and about 20% T3, however, T3 possesses about four times the hormone "strength" as T4. Degradation of T4 and T3 in the body then releases iodine that re-enters the blood iodine pool. Most ingested iodine is eventually excreted in the urine. Only a small amount appears in the feces.

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