by THOMAS on July 22, 2014 • 9:14 am
No this is not a typo. A recent study found that women who have taken thyroid hormone for more than 15 years have a 200% increased risk for breast cancer when compared to women who did not take thyroid hormone.
This is taken from an article by Dr. David Browstein who then goes on to say that this is due to iodine deficiency. Thyroid supplementation increases the body’s metabolic needs for more iodine. If a person is iodine deficient and is prescribed thyroid medication, the thyroid hormone will worsen the iodine deficiency problem. Dr. Brownstein believes that iodine deficiency could be responsible for why one in seven women U.S women are suffering with breast cancer.
If you are suspected of having a thyroid problem, you should first have your iodine levels checked. If your level is found to be low, you should then take an iodine supplement before taking any thyroid medication. Iodine is needed by the breast tissue to maintain a normal breast architecture free of cysts, nodules, and cancer. If the iodine supplement does not resolve your problem then take it concurrently with your thyroid medication.
What if you are already taking thyroid hormone and not supplementing with iodine? It is never to late to have your iodine levels tested. It is important to keep in mind that the thyroid gland function will often improve with the addition of iodine. This may require that you lower your dosage of thyroid hormone.
Iodine deficiency is occurring at epidemic rates these days. The percentage of folks in the general population who are likely iodine deficient is probably somewhere in the upper 90’s. The vast majority of these are likely significantly deficient.
If you would like to read more about iodine and the body’s need, I would recommend you check out Dr. Browstein’s book, Iodine: Why You Need It and Why YouCan’t Live without It.