Vitamin A Palmitate causes Iodine Deficiency

by Molly Nocerino

My family became iodine deficient after giving up dairy products and taking Cod Liver Oil (which contains vitamin A) for several years.

We developed a whole host of bizarre symptoms, not realizing they were related to the Cod Liver Oil. At some point we switched a different, higher dose Vitamin A & D supplement.

At this point the symptoms became severe. My son developed sever fatigue and insomnia. He was SO sick he was nearly unresponsive. The doctors thought it was a virus. When some one suggested it was iodine deficiency, I thought it was ridiculous.

I did the iodine self test on my son and within two hours he literally came back to life.

I started reading about iodine deficiency and found a laundry list of all of the bizarre symptoms that my family and I had experience. We have spent the past several years trying to get enough iodine in our diet to recover.

It has been an up and down process. We seem to do better and then get worse. My son has a noticably enlarged thyroid that seems to expand and contract over time. After studying our situation and taking detailed notes, it is clear to me that vitamin A palimate is playing a clear role in causing iodine depletion.

The problem is that it is in everything: multivitamins, cereals, protein bars, milk, etc.

Here is my humble theory on what is going on (atleast in my family):

Foods and supplements containing high levels of Vitamin A Palmitate over stimulate the thyroid.

When the thyroid is over stimulated, it uses up more iodine. If sufficient iodine is available in the diet to support the high level of thyroid activity, the result may actually be positive.

The thyroid in overdrive provides high levels of energy and clear thinking. If sufficient iodine is not available, iodine is depleted from stores in the body. These stores include the thyroid, ovaries, breasts, prostate tissues, muscles, blood, skin, and sinus.

As these stores become depleted, the body experiences a wide variety of side effects. Early side effects are fatigue, dry skin, increased blood fats, brain fog, inability to sleep, hoarseness, and delayed reflexes. When iodine is deficient for several months, the thyroid gland enlarges, forming a goiter, as it attempts to capture more iodine for the production of thyroid hormones.

Iodine deficiency causes the same symptoms as an underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). Once a person is severely iodine deficient, even moderate amounts of Vitamin A Palmitate (without sufficient iodine) can worsen symptoms.

Single serving of many foods (cereals, energy bars, multi-vitamins, supplements) are fortified with 50 to 100% of the RDA of Vitamin A. If these foods do not contain enough iodine, depletion will occur.

I think this explains why so many people are iodine deficient. Of course, all of my doctors think I am crazy.

My advise to anyone struggling with iodine deficiency is to cut out foods fortified with Vitamin A palmitate.

I think it will help.

RESPONSE

Thank you SO MUCH for your very informative information. I had no idea about the Vitamin A, but now that I think about it, I see it everywhere and it is in almost every product.

Have you considered doing any type of detoxification for your family? That might help to get the bodies back in to balance.

Please take a look at these pages on this site which may help your family to regain their health:

Full Body Detox

Halogens

Look at your skin to see if you have red dots. If so, you have bromine poisoning. These are also known disruptors for iodine absorption.

Please keep me informed on how your family progress.

And, again, thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with us.