GOITRE AND IODISED SALT – INTRODUCTION

Many years have passed since Dr Eggenberger of Herisau first advocated the idea of iodising cooking salt and it was partly due to his initiative that iodised salt began to be used in Switzerland. The knowledge that iodine deficiency is responsible for the development of certain forms of goitre also made other countries decide to add iodine to salt. But let us examine whether this blanket arrangement makes sense.

Admittedly, iodised salt benefits those who suffer from thyroid deficiency (hypothyroidism), that is to say, tending to myxoedema, and those people can take it without it doing any harm. However, iodised salt has exactly the opposite effect on people whose thyroid is overactive, with tendency to Graves’ disease (hyperthyroidism, exophthalmic goitre). Experience shows that if such people take the slightest amount of iodine they experience palpitations. So these unfortunate people think that something is wrong with their heart and run to the heart specialist to find out what is the trouble. In any case, because of the lack of a warning on the salt package, or their failure to understand the implications of iodised salt, they will have been harmed by what appeared to be a harmless salt.

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