ANATOMY

Detailed explanation-1: -Iodine is one of the main building blocks of both hormones. Our bodies can’t produce this trace element, so we need to get enough of it in our diet. Iodine is absorbed into our bloodstream from food in our bowel. It is then carried to the thyroid gland, where it is eventually used to make thyroid hormones.

Detailed explanation-2: -Iodine, as a trace element, is a necessary and limiting substrate for thyroid gland hormone synthesis. It is an essential element that enables the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3).

Detailed explanation-3: -Apart from the essential trace element iodine, which is the central constituent of thyroid hormones, a second essential trace element, selenium, is required for appropriate thyroid hormone synthesis, activation and metabolism.

Detailed explanation-4: -At present, the only physiological role known for iodine in the human body is in the synthesis of thyroid hormones by the thyroid gland2).