Iodine

Iodine. It’s a component of thyroid hormone, critical for fetal and childhood growth and development. It also regulates metabolism, digestion, heart function, reproduction and many other aspects of adult health. Hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) will result if someone is deficient in iodine, and can also result from other issues. Most of us in the West have enough iodine, though studies have found that a significant number of pregnant or lactating women in the U.S.

It all started 40 years ago, when our food supplies lost a valuable friend replaced by a sinister antagonist. Since then, we have been struggling to get enough of it, and sadly most of us didn’t even notice it was gone. We knew something was missing because things started going downhill from there, especially for women. You noticed yourself and loved ones with some added girth. That fatigue that just won’t go away, and you can’t understand or possibly remember why.