iodine
Meaning of iodine: Iodine is an essential trace element required to make thyroid hormone, obtained from foods such as iodized salt and seafood.
Definition of iodine
Iodine is a chemical element that the body requires in small amounts to produce thyroid hormone, which regulates metabolism and supports normal growth and development. The thyroid gland actively absorbs iodine from the bloodstream and incorporates it directly into the structure of thyroid hormone molecules.
Dietary sources of iodine include seafood, dairy products, and iodized salt, table salt that has had iodine added specifically to help prevent dietary deficiency. Because the body cannot produce iodine on its own, adequate dietary intake is necessary to support normal thyroid function.
Iodine also has uses outside of nutrition, including as an antiseptic applied to skin and wounds, where it acts by disrupting the structure of microorganisms, and in certain forms as a contrast agent that improves the visibility of internal structures on some types of imaging.
Used in a sentence
Dietary iodine intake was reviewed as part of the evaluation of the patient's thyroid function.
Good to know
Both too little and too much dietary iodine can disrupt normal thyroid function, so iodine intake outside its usual range in either direction can affect the thyroid rather than only a deficiency being of concern.
Word origin
Where “iodine” comes from
Formed from Greek iodes, meaning violet colored, from ion, meaning violet, and eidos, meaning appearance, describing the violet color of iodine vapor.