Why do you have to stick to a low iodine diet?
Thyroid cancer is usually treated by a surgery followed by radioiodine treatment. The radioiodine treatment is a safe treatment which was applied for the first time in 1940. It uses an iodine isotope which is nearly exclusively stored in the thyroid. The iodine isotope is a weak beta radiator with a half-time of about eight days. The cancer cells which where not removed surgically are killed by the emitted beta radiation. Due to the special human iodine metabolism, other organs get a minimal radiation dose. The iodine which is not stored in the thyroid will be filtered immediately by the kidneys.
In order to have the best results on the radiation treatment, the patient needs to stick to the rules of a low iodine diet. With a low iodine diet before the start of the radiation, all iodine depots in the thyroid are emptied and ready for being filled up with the radioactive iodine. The low iodine diet is also necessary to keep the radioactive iodine in the thyroid. If a patient eats iodide-rich food, the radioactive iodine would be partially replaced by inactive iodine. Therefore the patient has to stick to a low iodine diet for a relatively short time of two weeks before the treatment. Most food supplements and multivitamin products contain a remarkable amount of iodine. Another huge iodine source is marine food. All products of the sea should be avoided during the diet. This includes the sea salt and iodine rich salt. Be also careful with bread and industrial produced products. In many of them iodine salt is used since it is very useful for most of the people. The best way to avoid complications is to cook and bake as much as you can by your own. In general, fresh fruit are not problem for your diet. For an exact list you should contact your doctor.
Most persons who were asked to stick to a low-iodine diet have already passed one of the most terrifying moments of their life: the positive diagnosis of cancer. A low-iodine therapy is the preparation for a therapy with radioactive iodine. The goal of the diet is to empty the body iodine stores so they can be filled with radioactive iodine. The emitted beta-radiation is supposed to kill all remaining thyroid cancer cells.
The usual treatment of thyroid cancer is a surgical removing of the cancer tissue followed by a radioactive iodine therapy. Since the radioactive iodine is working very specific on the thyroid, the other organs are nearly not affected by the radiation of the iodine. The radiation dose in the thyroid is several orders of magnitude higher than in the rest of the body. There is no evidence that the radiation can cause the growing of other cancer tumours elsewhere in the body. The amount of radiation dose depends on the specific treatment. In order to have a successful treatment, the whole amount of the radioactive iodine has to be stored permanently in the thyroid. The half time of the used radioactive iodine isotope is 8 days so it is removing itself from the body. To increase the amount of the stored iodine, the body depots have to be emptied before the treatment. This is the main goal of the low-iodine diet. By avoiding external iodine sources, the body is forced to use its own resources.
External iodine sources are mainly iodine salt and seafood including sea salt. All of them have to be avoided strictly during the diet. Especially avoiding seafood is crucial for the success of the later treatment. This includes any meals where seafood is used in any form as a side product. Since the diet usually lasts for two weeks, the limitations for the patient should be manageable. However, many industrially produced nutrient products including bread contain an iodine source, so that all meals should be prepared at home. There is no way of easy recognizing or testing a meal for its iodine content, therefore the patient need to inform himself about the used ingredients. Other iodine sources are egg yolk and milk. For a successful treatment, all products that contain any of the iodine sources in any form have to be avoided since the iodine salt is not removed by cooking or baking. But in case you are not sure about your diet, you need to contact your physician.
Thyroid cancer is usually treated by a surgery followed by radioiodine treatment. The radioiodine treatment is a safe treatment which was applied for the first time in 1940. It uses an iodine isotope which is nearly exclusively stored in the thyroid. The iodine isotope is a weak beta radiator with a half-time of about eight days. The cancer cells which where not removed surgically are killed by the emitted beta radiation. Due to the special human iodine metabolism, other organs get a minimal radiation dose. The iodine which is not stored in the thyroid will be filtered immediately by the kidneys.
In order to have the best results on the radiation treatment, the patient needs to stick to the rules of a low iodine diet. With a low iodine diet before the start of the radiation, all iodine depots in the thyroid are emptied and ready for being filled up with the radioactive iodine. The low iodine diet is also necessary to keep the radioactive iodine in the thyroid. If a patient eats iodide-rich food, the radioactive iodine would be partially replaced by inactive iodine. Therefore the patient has to stick to a low iodine diet for a relatively short time of two weeks before the treatment. Most food supplements and multivitamin products contain a remarkable amount of iodine. Another huge iodine source is marine food. All products of the sea should be avoided during the diet. This includes the sea salt and iodine rich salt. Be also careful with bread and industrial produced products. In many of them iodine salt is used since it is very useful for most of the people. The best way to avoid complications is to cook and bake as much as you can by your own. In general, fresh fruit are not problem for your diet. For an exact list you should contact your doctor.
Why the Low-Iodine Diet can save your life
Most persons who were asked to stick to a low-iodine diet have already passed one of the most terrifying moments of their life: the positive diagnosis of cancer. A low-iodine therapy is the preparation for a therapy with radioactive iodine. The goal of the diet is to empty the body iodine stores so they can be filled with radioactive iodine. The emitted beta-radiation is supposed to kill all remaining thyroid cancer cells.
From all radiation methods for medical treatment, the iodine radiation is one of the most elegant ones with very few side-effects. This is caused by the special iodine metabolism of the human body. Iodine is stored exclusively in the thyroid and too high iodine concentrations are immediately filtered by the kidneys. For this reason, the radioactive iodine is working only on the thyroid. The second advantage is the used iodine isotope. It is a weak beta and gamma radiator. But only the beta radiation is causing the death of the cells. On for a very small area (<0.5 mm) around the thyroid the beta radiation is strong enough to induce the cell death while the half-life period is only eight days. Therefore, the treatment with radioactive iodine is one of the safest radiation treatments at all.
For the time of the diet, the patient needs to avoid iodine in any form. There are few sources for iodine supply. The most common one is iodine-salt. Unfortunately, it is widely used in food industry and in bakeries. Therefore, you need to find an iodine-free bread or bake it at home. The second source of iodine is maritime food. Every maritime food has an increased level of iodine and must be strictly avoided. This is particularly true for all nutrients that depend indirectly on any kind of sea-food products like algin or agar-agar. Other sources of iodine are all milk products since the milk contains an increased level of iodine.
For the time of the diet, the patient needs to avoid iodine in any form. There are few sources for iodine supply. The most common one is iodine-salt. Unfortunately, it is widely used in food industry and in bakeries. Therefore, you need to find an iodine-free bread or bake it at home. The second source of iodine is maritime food. Every maritime food has an increased level of iodine and must be strictly avoided. This is particularly true for all nutrients that depend indirectly on any kind of sea-food products like algin or agar-agar. Other sources of iodine are all milk products since the milk contains an increased level of iodine.
Rules for a low-iodine diet
Some persons have to stick to a low-iodine diet for medical reasons. A low-iodine diet is used for preparation of the body for a treatment with radioactive iodine. Only in this case you should stick to this form of a diet. The most important task for a patient is to understand that a low-iodine diet is not a low-salt diet. The only thing you have to consider is that the salt you are eating is iodine-free. Usually, the normal salt consists of sodium or potassium chloride and can be used without further considerations. Unfortunately, most of the professionally produced food, including fast food, is made with salt with high content of iodine. During the time of your diet, you should not go to a restaurant unless you are sure, that they offer iodine free meal. It is impossible to find out by any easy test whether the meal was prepared with an iodine source or not, therefore, you need to prepare most of your food by your own. For example, it is relatively hard to find a bakery which is using iodine-free salt for the preparation of their bread so it might be necessary to bake your bread at home.
Maritime products are a total no-go area for the two weeks of low iodine diet. The sea water contains a lot of iodine salt which is stored in any seafood like fish, shellfish, caviar, or sea salt but also indirect products that contain algin or agar-agar. Especially industrially produced products might contain seafood by-products that have to be avoided.
Other iodine sources are milk and egg yolk in contrast to egg-white. Only the egg-yolk is an iodine source. Because of the higher iodine concentration in the milk, all milk products like yoghurts, cheese or milk chocolate should be replaced during the time of the diet.
Please note, that the way of the food preparation like cooking or backing has no influence on the iodine. In most cases the iodine is stored as a salt in the food which is absolutely temperature-resistant.
Some persons have to stick to a low-iodine diet for medical reasons. A low-iodine diet is used for preparation of the body for a treatment with radioactive iodine. Only in this case you should stick to this form of a diet. The most important task for a patient is to understand that a low-iodine diet is not a low-salt diet. The only thing you have to consider is that the salt you are eating is iodine-free. Usually, the normal salt consists of sodium or potassium chloride and can be used without further considerations. Unfortunately, most of the professionally produced food, including fast food, is made with salt with high content of iodine. During the time of your diet, you should not go to a restaurant unless you are sure, that they offer iodine free meal. It is impossible to find out by any easy test whether the meal was prepared with an iodine source or not, therefore, you need to prepare most of your food by your own. For example, it is relatively hard to find a bakery which is using iodine-free salt for the preparation of their bread so it might be necessary to bake your bread at home.
Maritime products are a total no-go area for the two weeks of low iodine diet. The sea water contains a lot of iodine salt which is stored in any seafood like fish, shellfish, caviar, or sea salt but also indirect products that contain algin or agar-agar. Especially industrially produced products might contain seafood by-products that have to be avoided.
Other iodine sources are milk and egg yolk in contrast to egg-white. Only the egg-yolk is an iodine source. Because of the higher iodine concentration in the milk, all milk products like yoghurts, cheese or milk chocolate should be replaced during the time of the diet.
Please note, that the way of the food preparation like cooking or backing has no influence on the iodine. In most cases the iodine is stored as a salt in the food which is absolutely temperature-resistant.
The preparation for a treatment with radioactive iodine needs a diet.
The usual treatment of thyroid cancer is a surgical removing of the cancer tissue followed by a radioactive iodine therapy. Since the radioactive iodine is working very specific on the thyroid, the other organs are nearly not affected by the radiation of the iodine. The radiation dose in the thyroid is several orders of magnitude higher than in the rest of the body. There is no evidence that the radiation can cause the growing of other cancer tumours elsewhere in the body. The amount of radiation dose depends on the specific treatment. In order to have a successful treatment, the whole amount of the radioactive iodine has to be stored permanently in the thyroid. The half time of the used radioactive iodine isotope is 8 days so it is removing itself from the body. To increase the amount of the stored iodine, the body depots have to be emptied before the treatment. This is the main goal of the low-iodine diet. By avoiding external iodine sources, the body is forced to use its own resources.
External iodine sources are mainly iodine salt and seafood including sea salt. All of them have to be avoided strictly during the diet. Especially avoiding seafood is crucial for the success of the later treatment. This includes any meals where seafood is used in any form as a side product. Since the diet usually lasts for two weeks, the limitations for the patient should be manageable. However, many industrially produced nutrient products including bread contain an iodine source, so that all meals should be prepared at home. There is no way of easy recognizing or testing a meal for its iodine content, therefore the patient need to inform himself about the used ingredients. Other iodine sources are egg yolk and milk. For a successful treatment, all products that contain any of the iodine sources in any form have to be avoided since the iodine salt is not removed by cooking or baking. But in case you are not sure about your diet, you need to contact your physician.
