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Will Avoiding Iodine Supplements Affect Blood Test?
My 53 year old husband had a total thyroidectomy in November, followed by 6 weeks of IMRT radiation treatments in Jan & Feb. He has been on Levo at 150 since the surgery. His last blood work in April showed TSH at 0.2, T4 at 1.5, and thyroglobulin at 1.1. He has been supplementing with iodine at 12.5 mg to increase energy levels. He has another scan on July 30th and is taking Cytomel for 4 weeks now, then stops that for 2 weeks prior to the scan. Last 5 days before the scan he has to avoid iodine containing foods. Should he stop the iodine supplements now? Could this affect his blood tests adversely?
Mon, 27 Jun 2016
Hi and welcome. I am concerned about the iodine supplementation as iodine is not indicated in this type of thyroid disorder and is already affecting the labs. The TSH is again too low.
I would advise iodine restriction, supplementation with selenium is often recommended as is a low gluten diet.
Because this type of thyroid disorder is usually autoimmune based, identifying offending triggers is where nutrition comes in.
Studies show excess iodine and gluten to be the most commen triggers.
Good Day! Kathy Shattler,MS, RD
I would advise iodine restriction, supplementation with selenium is often recommended as is a low gluten diet.
Because this type of thyroid disorder is usually autoimmune based, identifying offending triggers is where nutrition comes in.
Studies show excess iodine and gluten to be the most commen triggers.
Good Day! Kathy Shattler,MS, RD
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