The impact of the micronutrient iodine in health and diseases

Abstract

Adequate iodine nutrition is crucial for all mammals by playing his starring role as a component of thyroid hormones, which are key regulators of cellular processes for life such as differentiation, growth, function, and metabolism. Deficiency or excess of iodine in the diet are worldwide highly frequent conditions that are responsible of health problems like hypothyroidism, hypothyroxinemia, goiter, thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, and autoimmune thyroid diseases among others. The incorporation of iodine in salt or other nutrients resolved the consequences of severe iodine deficiency like goiter, cretinism. However, this strategy in several countries led to other ailments like Hashimoto autoimmune thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism. The goal of this review is to analyze and discuss the different aspects of iodine nutrition for human health comprising its biological role through thyroid hormones, pathogen control, and the regulation of the intestinal microbiota.

Keywords:

• Bactericide
• intestinal microbiota
• iodine
• nutrition
• thyroid diseases
• thyroid hormones

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The authors are supported by the Millennium Institute on Immunology and Immunotherapy, Iniciativa Científica Milenio, Ministry of Economy, Government of Chile (P09/016-F for MCO, CR, SB and AMK), the ECOS France-Chile 860 grant, Fondo Nacional de Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico, Ministry of Education, Goverment of Chile (FONDECYT # 1191300, 1130996, 1161525, 1110604, 1070352, 1050979, 1040349, 1100926, 1110397, 1100971, 1110604). CR: Nucleus project UNAB DI-471-15/N and DI-03-19/N. ICA is supported by a PhD Fellowship from the Comision Nacional de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica, Ministry of Education, Goverment of Chile (#63140215). MCO: Fondecyt 11180739, Nucleus project UNAB DI-03-19/N.CCC VI Comisión mixta de Cooperación bilateral entre las regiones de Chile y Valonia-Bruselas periodo 2019-2021.