# What's the deal with non-iodized salt? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 4, 2011, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207 "2011-04-04T23:02:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![fumster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9c0ed/32.png) [@fumster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fumster)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/21 "2011-04-05T14:45:07Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > Are you suggesting that Europeans are morons? In Europe, fluoridated tap water is rare and the vast majority of countries in the EU don’t have compulsary salt iodization. Have you seen their teeth? Iodine is not a problem for people who eat fish or even live near the ocean. ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/22 "2011-04-05T14:45:41Z")
> [@h.sapiens](#): > > I had to go on a very-low iodine diet in preparation for radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer. Not only did I have to cook most of my own food using non-iodized salt, I had to cut out all dairy, eggs, and seafood, and anything with artificial red, orange or brown coloring (not all red food dye contains iodine, but some does, so you have to avoid it just in case). > > Not fun. Not fun at all. Seriously, I think that horrid diet ticked me off more than being told I had cancer. I also had to go completely hypo-thyroid at the time (couldn’t do the injections for my first treatment), so I couldn’t think very well, either. My brother said it was like I’d had a chemical lobotomy. He’s so kind. I ended up eating plain fruit most of the time at the end of the eight weeks, because I couldn’t think enough to figure out what else was safe, or how to cook anything. Awful. If I ever had to do it again, I’d try to prep a bunch of stuff while I could still think, and freeze it in little portion sizes. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/23 "2011-04-05T14:54:28Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > Are you suggesting that Europeans are morons? In Europe, fluoridated tap water is rare and the vast majority of countries in the EU don’t have compulsary salt iodization. Yes, but do Europeans tend to claim vaccines cause autism and fluoride is what the Nazis used in concentration camps to keep the Jews docile? _That_ is what I mean. (And, yeah, I would be interested in seeing if the parts of Europe that don’t fluoridate drinking water have significantly higher rates of tooth decay compared to the regions that do. I know it’s possible to achieve the same effect with toothpaste, so this isn’t a foregone conclusion.) ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/24 "2011-04-05T15:03:26Z")
[http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/teeth/caries/who-dmft.html#western](http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/teeth/caries/who-dmft.html#western) ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/25 "2011-04-05T15:28:05Z")
> [@StuffLikeThatThere](#): > > Not fun at all. Seriously, I think that horrid diet ticked me off more than being told I had cancer. I also had to go completely hypo-thyroid at the time (couldn’t do the injections for my first treatment), so I couldn’t think very well, either. My brother said it was like I’d had a chemical lobotomy. He’s so kind. > > I ended up eating plain fruit most of the time at the end of the eight weeks, because I couldn’t think enough to figure out what else was safe, or how to cook anything. Awful. If I ever had to do it again, I’d try to prep a bunch of stuff while I could still think, and freeze it in little portion sizes. Good grief. That sounds horrifying. Did your doctors tell you that you were going to lose a lot of cognitive abilities? How long did it take to come back? Were you able to read? Follow a television program? ---
**Author:** ![StuffLikeThatThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc8723/32.png) [@StuffLikeThatThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StuffLikeThatThere)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/26 "2011-04-05T15:49:38Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > Good grief. That sounds horrifying. Did your doctors tell you that you were going to lose a lot of cognitive abilities? How long did it take to come back? Were you able to read? Follow a television program? Yes, I was warned. I’d had my thyroid completely removed, and I wasn’t allowed to take replacement thyroid for about eight weeks. (Preparation for radioactive treatment to kill any remaining thyroid cells in my body.) My major symptoms were pretty typical, and pretty much what they told me to expect: severe fatigue, some joint pain, severely dry skin (the dryness also made my hair really weird and my throat pretty sore), severe cold intolerance (we kept the house at around 75 degrees, and I walked around in fleece pants and sweatshirts and stayed wrapped in blankets as much as possible), and brain fog. The symptoms started out not-so-bad and progressed as time went on. To be honest, the brain fog was pretty upsetting, even though I’d been told it would all come back. I could read, but I couldn’t really concentrate, so I’d try to read a magazine article and have to go back over the same paragraph three or four times, and I still wouldn’t really get it. I gave up after awhile. We bumped our Netflix subscription to the unlimited plan, and I watched a lot of movies and TV series (we don’t have an antenna or cable, so I couldn’t watch regular TV). I was able to follow the movies and shows, though I did notice later that I’d remember having seen a movie, but I didn’t remember it as well as movies I watched at other times. I was definitely very very slow. It took about two weeks after I was able to start on thryoid replacement hormones for me to feel basically okay, and it was another week or so until I felt pretty normal. It did make me a little paranoid about my thyroid medication. I keep at least a month’s supply over and above my regular prescription around all the time. Just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/27 "2011-04-05T15:57:23Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Unless you avoid restaurants and processed foods, it’s a good bet you’re getting enough iodine without having it in your table or cooking salt at home, too. I’m not sure that’s true; I’ve had two different doctors recommend an iodine supplement if I eliminate table salt from my diet. Sodium is not the same as table salt. > [@Surreal](#): > > Are you suggesting that Europeans are morons? In Europe, fluoridated tap water is rare and the vast majority of countries in the EU don’t have compulsary salt iodization. Funnily enough, Europeans fluoridate their table salt. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/28 "2011-04-05T16:39:47Z")
I mix iodized table salt together with kosher salt so we get the iodine supplement and texture in one salt cellar. Straight iodized kosher salt is a little too chunky for table use. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/29 "2011-04-05T16:49:47Z")
> [@Surreal](#): > > [http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/teeth/caries/who-dmft.html#western](http://www.fluoridealert.org/health/teeth/caries/who-dmft.html#western) This looks like the precise opposite of unbiased. Is it as biased as I imagine it is? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/30 "2011-04-05T19:10:00Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I’m not sure that’s true; I’ve had two different doctors recommend an iodine supplement if I eliminate table salt from my diet. Sodium is not the same as table salt. It’s nothing to do with the sodium, except that sodium content can be used to extrapolate a rough idea of iodine intake from food sources. (People in coastal areas also absorb atmospheric iodine.) Only about 1 microgram of iodine per kilogram of body weight is really required to prevent deficiency syndrome (see [here](http://books.google.com/books?id=pqsxS9tge8kC&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&source=bl&ots=1JqSA8nAgJ&sig=S-DlYBpu9lrOzzmqj2w0097nt0A&hl=en&ei=eVmbTa63Hoi6tgeHmozLBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false), under heading “Beneficial Effects on Ailments”). The RDA is 150 μg/day for adults (see [here](http://www.iom.edu/Home/Global/News%20Announcements/~/media/Files/Activity%20Files/Nutrition/DRIs/DRI_Elements.ashx), page 4, for NAS RDA and Upper Limits by age and gender), which looks to be a substantial safety margin unless you weigh 330 pounds, are pregnant/lactating, or eat large amounts of the handful of [foods that inhibit iodine uptake](http://www.livestrong.com/article/350429-foods-that-inhibit-iodine/), like raw caulifower or peaches. In any event, by some estimates the average American intake is over 600 μg (_Nutrition Almanac_ again, under heading “Dosage and Toxicity”). Other estimates I see range as low as 240-300 μg/day for men and 190-210 μg/day for women, still above the RDA. I am not discouraging people from using iodized salt (though it might be something to look into if you have skin problems). Even if you’re getting more than you need, you’re _probably_ shy of problem levels. Excessive iodine can be bad for the thyroid too, but not so much as iodine deficiency. There is some reason to suspect that [higher iodine intakes stave off breast cancer](http://breast-cancer-research.com/content/5/5/235/abstract), though the most ardent proponents of this (not the link) are a little woo. ---
**Author:** ![Surreal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eada6e/32.png) [@Surreal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surreal)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/31 "2011-04-05T19:21:27Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > This looks like the precise opposite of unbiased. Is it as biased as I imagine it is? \*“Fluoridation of water supplies would also treat people who may not benefit from the treatment. Side-effects cannot be excluded and, thus, some people might only have negative effects without any benefit.” “In Sweden, water fluoridation, to my knowledge, is no longer advocated by anybody. In Sweden, the emphasis nowadays is to keep the environment as clean as possible with regard to pharmacologically active and, thus, potentially toxic substances.”\* -Arvid Carlsson, \*\*Nobel Laureate in Medicine or Physiology \*\*(2000) and Emeritus Professor of Pharmacology, University of Gothenburg ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/32 "2011-04-07T01:57:38Z")
**Surreal** : Thank you for demonstrating that even Nobel Laureates deserve to be ignored on some issues. [Now educate yourself on the reality of the situation, not what idiots spew.](http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/) ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/33 "2011-04-07T02:28:09Z")
> [@Dickerman](#): > > Some folks are allergic to iodine. Cite? A single element is not capable of bridging the IgE molecules to degranulate mast cells in the histamine release that leads to allergic reactions. Not to mention the fact that iodine is present in every person’s blood and would rapidly lead to anaphylaxis in someone who was somehow allergic to it. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/34 "2011-04-07T02:38:31Z")
Some people get enough iodine from other sources. If their salt were iodized as well, they’d be getting too much. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/35 "2011-04-07T07:17:21Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > Some people get enough iodine from other sources. If their salt were iodized as well, they’d be getting too much. Are there really people that are that close to the upper edge of the safe/normal dietary dose? I’d have thought the gap between dietary intake levels and toxic levels would be an order of magnitude at least. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/36 "2011-04-07T09:02:17Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > Cite? A single element is not capable of bridging the IgE molecules to degranulate mast cells in the histamine release that leads to allergic reactions. Not to mention the fact that iodine is present in every person’s blood and would rapidly lead to anaphylaxis in someone who was somehow allergic to it. It doesn’t have the same mechanism as say, pollen allergy, but some people ARE sensitive to iodine, to the point of dying if overexposed. Ask a radiologist about it some time - it’s called “iodine allergy” and is an issue with some medical imaging contrast solutions. I used to work with a radiologist who moved into research after the third or fourth time a patient went into anaphylaxis on the table because, as she put it, “I didn’t become a doctor to accidentally kill people”. Granted, _most_ radiologists don’t react that way, but it’s a real phenomena and a real risk. The normal amounts of iodine in their body don’t affect them adversely, it’s when the amount goes over a certain threshold. Another essential nutrient that does alarming things in some people in high doses is niacin, which in some people causes skin flushing, itching, cardiac arrhythmia, and other not so fun side effects. Yet normal levels in their body are essential. I’m not too clear on the mechanism there, but apparently those folks have lower than normal levels of certain enzymes that process niacin, so their bodies find “therapautic” levels of niacin to be overwhelming. Anyhow - extreme sensitivity to iodine does exist and it’s called “iodine allergy” rightly or wrongly. For some individuals, high levels of iodine in the diet can be problematic so they need to avoid seafood and yes, iodized salt. Anyhow, non-iodized salt has applications where it’s lack of iodine is important. Medical saline is made with non-iodized salt. Canning and pickling should be done with non-iodized salt to prevent discoloration. If you use a neti pot you use non-iodized salt for the saline solution you pour through your nose. There are probably other applications where it’s lack of iodine is important that I haven’t mentioned. So, there are enough uses that people need access to non-iodized salt. However, people need iodine in their diet, and iodized salt has been an easy and effective route to make sure that happens. Hence we have both kinds of salt available. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/37 "2011-04-07T10:29:26Z")
> [@constanze](#): > > That doesn’t mean that although 99% of inland population need iodine, and adding it to salt is easier than getting them to eat seafish, that for 1% of the population, they get their iodine elsewhere fine and the iodine in salt would be too much and cause indeed problems. For every medical “hypo-” problem there’s also at least one person with the exact opposite “hyper-” problem. Although this makes _theoretical_ sense, in practice the amount of iodine one gets from dietary sources is way too small to aggravate HYPERthyroidism (in susceptible individuals, i.e. people whose HYPERthyroidism is due to, or exacerbated by, excess iodine ingestion). Indeed, iodine-induced hyperthyroidism occurs when a) the person had previously not been getting enough iodine, therefore their thyroid gland is revved up to make use of even the tiniest amount of it, and b) the person suddenly begins to take in huge amounts of iodine, such as found in the drug [amiodarone](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amiodarone) or in certain x-ray dyes. ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/38 "2011-04-07T10:37:04Z")
Salt became iodized to prevent a form of mental retardation called Congenital Hypothyroidism that occurred in babies born to hypothyroidism mothers. The mothers were hypothyroid due to a lack of dietary iodine. At the time, seafood wasn’t widely available. As a public health issue, iodizing salt was preventative. > **[Congenital hypothyroidism](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congenital_hypothyroidism)** > > Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) is thyroid hormone deficiency present at birth. If untreated for several months after birth, severe congenital hypothyroidism can lead to growth failure and permanent intellectual disability. Infants born with congenital hypothyroidism may show no effects, or may display mild effects that often go unrecognized as a problem. Significant deficiency may cause excessive sleeping, reduced interest in nursing, poor muscle tone, low or hoarse cry, infrequent bowel movement... Now, salt is more widely in our diets and seafood much more available, so home use of iodized salt is less critical. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/39 "2011-04-07T11:07:20Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > [Now educate yourself on the reality of the situation, not what idiots spew.](http://www.cdc.gov/fluoridation/) This looks like the precise opposite of unbiased. Is it as biased as I imagine it is? ---
**Author:** ![Norse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a9adbd/32.png) [@Norse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Norse)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2011, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207/40 "2011-04-07T11:43:29Z")
> [@sh1bu1](#): > > Have you seen their teeth? Yes, I see Europeans’ teeth every day (there are still a few colleagues who smile to me once in a while). And your point is? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-deal-with-non-iodized-salt/577207.md?page=3)