Human Nutrition 3(3+0)

Lesson 36 : Iodine

Introduction

Iodine is an indispensable element for the body. It is needed by the thyroid gland to produce the hormone thyroxine, which regulates the release of energy in the body. The chief store house of iodine in the body is the thyroid gland. To meet the body’s demand for thyroxine, the thyroid gland traps iodine from the blood and incorporates it into thyroid hormone that is stored and released into the circulation when needed. The weight of thyroid gland in a normal adult is 25g and it contains 10mg iodine.