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Edema in Legs Caused by Too Much Iodine

Iodine is in foods we eat, our condiments (salt), and the purified water we drink. It is in our fuel and the sea air we breathe, too. Too much iodine can negatively impact our bodies (especially the thyroid and kidneys), which can result in edema. According to the Center for Disease Control, "An unhealthy thyroid can affect your entire body."

  1. Peripheral Edema

    • When fluid becomes trapped in body tissues the condition is known as peripheral edema. Edema can occur anywhere in the body; however, the legs--and feet, ankles, hands, and arms--are the most common parts of the body in which it is experienced, according to the Mayo Clinic.

    Causes

    • Edema can be caused by pregnancy, certain medications (such as NSAIDs, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) or some types of medical conditions, such as like congestive heart failure. But it can also be caused by prolonged sitting (e.g., on an airplane), as a premenstrual symptom or as the result of too much salt--or iodine.

    Iodine

    • Iodine, a natural element, isn't salt, as some might assume. However, it is usually added to table salt in the United States to prevent a deficiency of iodine. Iodine excess or iodine deficiency can cause thyroid hormones to be over or under-produced, which can affect your overall health and growth, according to the Center for Disease Control.

    Iodine, Salt, and Edema

    • One way iodine can contribute to the condition of edema is through kidney disease and iodine's relationship to salt. Kidney disease can hinder the body from ridding itself of excess fluid and salt. This excess iodized salt intake causes additional pressure to form in the blood vessels, resulting in fluid build up (edema), specifically in the legs but also in the eye area, according to the Mayo Clinic.

      But other systems in the body--like the circulatory and lymphatic systems--are also instrumental in keeping fluid levels balanced, so if these systems are not operating efficiently--e.g., when they have too much iodized salt in them--they can build up in your body, according to the Mayo Clinic. These systems are also sensitive to excesses or deficiencies in your thyroid gland, which can be impacted by iodine.

    Excess Iodine

    • While the body needs iodine for proper support of the thyroid hormone, it only needs a small amount of it: 10 to 15 mg, according to the CDC---which is smaller than a pinch of table salt in the palm of your hand. Therefore, the possibility of ingesting too much iodine is very likely.

      In fact, we get iodine from many things in addition to table salt: bread, cow and goat milk, ocean fish and plants (kelp), purified drinking water, food, disinfectants, skin soaps, bandages and medicines. Iodine is used in batteries, fuels, lubricants, inks, dyes and other chemical products that we come in contact with during daily life. All of these have the potential to enter our bodies through the air we breathe, skin contact or ingestion.

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