How to Quickly Remove Excess Iodine From the Body

Do you wonder if you can take too much iodine? Do you have questions like “Should I take iodine at night or in the morning?” If these questions sound familiar, then you are in the right place. In today’s post, I’ll answer these questions and more. I’ll give you a way to reduce iodine levels and for those who want a more in-depth plan, I will introduce my Thyroid Reset Diet.

So let’s take a look at iodine, how to remove excess amounts of it from the body, and how this vital element can be disastrous to your health.

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Table of Contents

Iodine Levels & Thyroid Disease
How Quickly Can You Reduce Your Iodine Levels?
How Much Iodine Should I Take Per Day?
What Should I Eat for a Low Iodine Diet?
Should I Take Iodine at Night or in the Morning?
Helping Keep Your Iodine Levels in Check

Iodine Levels & Thyroid Disease

High iodine levels are likely the single largest and most controllable cause of thyroid disease in the modern world.

You can take too much iodine without realizing it, so knowing how to remove excess iodine from the body is important. This can take place because the thyroid has a pump that pulls in iodine and attaches it to a protein called thyroglobulin. Iodine can build up in the thyroid, but it can only come out very, very slowly.

The pump itself pulls in more iodine if there is less present, and less when there is more present, and generally tries to keep things working right and in balance.

For many people, over a range of iodine intake, everything is fine.

However, some people are unable to tolerate large amounts of iodine, so knowing how to remove excess levels from the body is even more important if you are in this category. When this is the case, and iodine levels are too high, for too long, the pump in the thyroid stops working as well.

In this case, two potential things can happen:

1. The pump can fail to modulate (letting too much iodine in), or
2. It can shut down dramatically to protect the thyroid

You can take too much iodine accidentally. I should explain that taking iodine supplements at night, in the morning, or at any time may be dangerous if you are on thyroid medication, and even if you know how to remove excess iodine from the body, that may be less important than not letting it build up. This is because if you are taking thyroid medication then little or no hormone is ultimately made and that iodine stays stuck in your system.

Ultimately, iodine only comes out of the thyroid through hormone synthesis and non-hormonal excretion (a very small amount).

The problem is that iodine cannot easily leave the thyroid. It does so in one of two ways, hormone synthesis and non-hormonal excretion.

Hormone synthesis means that iodine becomes part of the thyroid hormone released by the thyroid.

People who have hypothyroidism or are taking thyroid medication are unable to eliminate iodine via hormone secretion because their thyroid is not secreting an adequate amount of hormone.

Non-hormonal secretion simply means that traces of iodine can leave the thyroid directly. If this is too small to be of any benefit.

Because the thyroid does not have a lot of ways to get rid of iodine, when too much gets inside of it, it can easily stay trapped.

Consequently, even a high intake of iodine taken a long time ago can stay in your system for a long time afterward – leading to issues even when you are back on the correct amount.

It has an incredibly long-lasting effect.

How Quickly Can You Remove Excess Iodine From the Body?

To be clear, if you take too much iodine consistently, it can take three to six months to reach a new steady state of iodine, and for some, it may take much longer. It could take somewhere between six to nine months to regain thyroid function as much as possible.

Before we address the question “Should I take iodine at night or in the morning?”, it must also be noted that you cannot be taking an excessive dose of thyroid medications. This may cause many negative consequences.

Understanding how to remove excess iodine from the body is pointless unless you can verify your iodine levels. This is when urinary iodine concentration (UIC) testing can be helpful. If you have been on a low-iodine diet for somewhere around three months without any improvement to your thyroid levels, this kind of test can tell if you are still excreting iodine.

If you are on a low-iodine diet and a UIC still shows high levels of iodine, check for the presence of iodine in these products, and switch to non-iodine-containing substitutes:

• Shampoo and conditioner
• Condiments and seasonings you are using
• Double-check your vitamins

You can learn how to remove excess iodine from the body and test for its presence, but you may have to wait some time to see a meaningful reduction. This is most often the case if you were exposed to a massive dose for quite some time.

When patients ask “Should I take iodine at night or in the morning?” This tells me that they have probably been taking an iodine supplement, so I’ll ask for details. Other questions, like “How would I know if I were exposed to massive amounts of iodine?” are also common.

The most common ways are through supplements like Iodarol, Lugols’ drops, or SSKI; medications, especially amiodarone; or contrast agents used for CTs or MRIs.

Learning how to remove excess iodine from the body is imperative! You cannot begin the healing process until iodine levels go down. 

Don’t be discouraged if your thyroid isn’t all the way better during detox. First, you need to detox to give your thyroid the opportunity to really heal. If you have been taking too much iodine, you can disrupt the healing process.

Even more importantly, there is no such thing as iodine detox side effects, or side effects from low iodine during this time.

Instead of wondering “Should I take iodine at night or wait until morning?”, it may be more important to limit or eliminate exposure to iodine at this time.

But, here are some things to think about instead:

• Hydration Levels – The bulk of iodine that leaves your body happens through your kidneys. Without enough water, it doesn’t matter how hard you try to remove excess iodine from the body. Stay hydrated so you can pee it out! (You should also make sure you are regular and take in a good amount of fiber for your gut health.)
• Micronutrients – Things like selenium, zinc, and iron can help your body circulate iodine better throughout your body. Without them, your body will be unable to regulate iodine as well as normal.

Reducing iodine levels takes time and patience. No matter how much you want to remove excess iodine from the body, there is no silver bullet that will reduce it tomorrow. To do it relatively quickly you need to keep a close eye on your levels and what you are doing.

That is why, for the Thyroid Reset Diet, I focus on a low-iodine diet, and really taking out those potential sources of iodine that you don’t need. We’ll focus more on that later.

How Much Iodine Should I Take Per Day?

Some people take iodine supplements. You can take too much, however, and this can cause problems.

When it comes to your iodine levels, how much supplement can you take before you have to worry about how to remove excess iodine from the body?

Instead of wondering “Should I take iodine during the day, at night, or in the morning?” you may want to limit or avoid supplements.

After you reduce iodine levels, next think about taking the right amount. But what is the right amount?

It varies.

If you are maintaining general health, you don’t have any thyroid problems, or your thyroid is stable:

• between 50-100 micrograms.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you need more. Something closer to:

• 150-250 micrograms.

If you are on thyroid medication:

• try to take things down by 50 micrograms.

And, if you are trying to help your thyroid get better:

• you will want less than 100 micrograms.

What Should I Eat for a Low Iodine Diet?

While you can take too much iodine when using supplements, getting too much from a low-iodine diet is less likely.

When I was writing the Thyroid Reset Diet, I broke foods down into three categories:

• Green Light – As far as iodine goes, you can eat freely from everything here.
• Yellow Light – May have some moderate amounts of iodine.
• Red Light – These are really high in iodine and worth avoiding.

Let’s start by focusing on green-light foods. This will typically include a collection of:

• Fruits
• Vegetables
• Legumes
• Nuts
• Seeds
• Most animal protein
• Egg whites

What Foods With Iodine Should I Not Eat?

Iodine-rich foods taken during meals in the morning, noon, or night may be a reason you have too much iodine and now need to figure out how to remove excess amounts from the body.

Moving down the list, let’s talk a bit about the foods that you may want to avoid temporarily, or avoid completely (based on multiple reasons).

Yellow light foods, which may be useful if you want a little boost (in the case of pregnant or breastfeeding mothers) but may require some caution include:

• Egg yolks
• Some dairy products
• Many types of seafood

And then red light foods. These are foods that have far too much iodine, or the amounts are not reliable enough to categorize them anywhere else – eat too much and you can take your iodine level over the limit.

Consider:

• Sea vegetables (like kelp, for instance)
• Processed grains
• Many types of dairy
• Iodine supplements

Should I Take Iodine at Night or in the Morning?

When is it best to take iodine?

If you are like most people, you take no iodine supplements and don’t worry about how to remove excess amounts from the body. You are likely getting enough iodine through the food you eat, so you really should not be seeking out ways to supplement it.

The time of day it is consumed does not have a bearing on this outcome. When you take it does not make it better or worse, so it really should not be a consideration.

The foods that have those moderate amounts, our yellow light foods, you can enjoy them any time of day – it won’t really make a difference, because what matters is simply how much you are getting into your system (and keeping an eye on that).

You can get too much iodine if you eat too much of the wrong foods. But if you watch your diet you probably won’t have to worry about how to remove excess amounts of iodine from the body. And if you have a high iodine level, a low iodine diet will give it a chance to drop.

Helping Keep Your Iodine Levels in Check

As I mentioned before, it is hard to find many patients seeking help for inherently low iodine levels, and most never have to worry about things like “Should I take iodine in the morning or at night?” Problems caused by low iodine normally happen due to bursts of iodine that cause your thyroid to shut down. Instead, patients wondering how to remove excess iodine from the body is more common.

The issue is that people may be getting too much iodine. And, those massive amounts of iodine may be holding back your health and endangering it in scary ways. For me, that was the goal of creating the Thyroid Reset Diet.

Ultimately, I wanted to provide a tangible and actionable way to provide ways for people to enjoy certain foods with confidence – while keeping an eye on foods that may be a bit trickier. As I mentioned, you can get too much iodine, so you probably want to focus on getting less.

I hope today’s discussion inspired you and gave you the confidence to track and get your iodine levels down while embracing a new way to keep your iodine levels in check.

After you have learned how to remove excess iodine from the body and started a low-iodine diet, it may take time to see results. But it will be worth it to give your thyroid the opportunity to heal.

Thanks for reading!

I hope I’ve explained why the answer to the question “Should I take iodine in the morning or at night?” doesn’t matter, and given you a way to reduce iodine in your body. Do you have other questions? If so, I can help you now!

1. Schedule a Thyroid Second Opinion with me, Dr. C.
2. Need A Thyroid Supplement Recommendation? Take My Thyroid Specific Formulations Quiz now.
3. Need a Personalized Supplement? Check out my Thyroid Specific Formulations.
4. Download and use my Favorite Recipes Cookbook.
5. Check out my podcast Medical Myths, Legends, and Fairytales.

Let Dr. Alan Glen Christianson (Dr. C) teach you how to remove excess iodine from the body so you can heal. He is a Naturopathic Endocrinologist and the author of The NY Times bestselling Adrenal Reset Diet, The Metabolism Reset Diet, and The Thyroid Reset Diet.

You can get too much iodine and it can cause problems. Dr. C can help. His gift for figuring out what really works has helped hundreds of thousands of people reverse thyroid disease, lose weight, manage diabetes, and regain energy. Learn more about the surprising story that started his quest.