A Healthy Diet Consisting of Natural Food Sources Containing Iodine May Be Helpful
Yesterday Dr. Oz did a segment called “The Truth Behind the Headlines” on The Doctor Oz Show. Dr. Oz wanted people to understand what’s really behind the current news headlines and to give them information they need to know.
One of the results was that potassium iodide pills are not helpful in protecting against radiation, and in fact, can be harmful in high doses of prescription strength potassium iodide.
The first discussion concerned the Japan nuclear meltdown, and covered whether or not the United States is at risk from radiation. Dr. Oz invited the world’s leading expert on nuclear radiation and author of Physics of The Future, Dr. Michio Kaku, to shed some light on this worrisome issue.
As Dr. Oz pointed out, many Americans are worried about fallout reaching the U.S. and have concerns for their health. As a result, people have been stocking up on potassium iodide pills. Dr. Kaku explained that radiation can travel in food, on inter-continental flight passengers and through the air.
He also said that the radiation from Japan is so diluted by the time it reaches the United States that it isn’t much of a concern. He explained that following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, radiation circled the earth 3 times, and that we all have a piece of Chernobyl inside of us, but it is so minute that it poses no risk.
Dr. Cynara Coomer, Chief of Breast Surgery of Staten Island University and FOX News Health Contributor, explained that exposure to radiation causes free radicals to be released in the body, which can lead to the development of different types of cancers and degenerative diseases.
Dr. Oz said the FDA recently blocked milk, fruits and vegetables grown in radiation effected areas of Japan from entering the U.S. Dr. Kaku said since 9-11, customs officials even have radiation counters that can be used to scan foodstuffs entering the U.S. so he is not worried that we will receive radiation tainted foods.
Dr. Oz pointed out that many people have bought potassium iodide pills to help protect themselves from thyroid cancer. When he asked Dr. Coomer what the benefits were to using potassium iodide pills as supplements, she said there were very little benefits, especially for people living on the west coast where shelves have been stripped of potassium iodide supplements. She said they were only designed to be given to people who are directly effected by radiation from a nuclear accident. She said people are really at a risk of hurting themselves by taking potassium iodide pills instead of helping themselves at this point.
Dr. Coomer said that if one has pharmaceutical dose potassium iodide pills, which are 300 to 700 times that found in a natural supplement, they should be thrown away as they can potentially make one very sick.
Dr. Oz said that getting small amounts of iodine in ones’ diet will help protect the thyroid. He listed iodized salt, strawberries, milk and spinach as good sources of iodine without resorting to taking iodine supplements. He said by eating a healthy diet that includes iodine one doesn’t have to worry about the thyroid being low in iodine and sucking up contaminated sources of iodine.
Dr. Oz said that this information came from studying people after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. It was found that people living in the area with low levels of iodine in their bodies were found to have a higher risk of thyroid cancer. Eating a diet containing natural sources of iodine can help guard against this condition.