Effects of Iodine Intake and Nutraceuticals in Thyroidology: Update and Prospects

The Impact of Iodine Concentration Disorders on Health and Cancer

Iodine deficiency is an ongoing problem. The implementation of salt iodization has significantly reduced the effects of iodine deficiency worldwide in recent years, and the remaining iodine deficiency is mild to moderate. Iodine is an essential substrate for the synthesis of thyroid hormones in the thyroid gland. It can also act as an antioxidant, as well as an anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic factor. Pregnant women, breastfeeding women, and children are particularly affected by iodine deficiency. It leads to thyroid diseases and metabolic and developmental disorders, as well as cancer. However, an excessive iodine intake may, similarly to iodine deficiency, lead to the development of goiter, and toxic amounts of iodine can lead to thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism, and even to the development of papillary thyroid cancer. Correcting iodine deficiency potentially reduces the chance of developing malignancies. Additional research is needed to better understand both the effect of iodine on carcinogenesis and the clinical outcome of iodine deficiency compensation on cancer patients' prognosis. The upcoming public health challenge appears to be reducing salt consumption, which could result in a lower iodine intake. Thus, an iodine enrichment vehicle other than salt could be considered if salt iodine levels are not increased to compensate, and urine iodine levels should be monitored more frequently.

Role of Dietary Supplements in Thyroid Diseases

BACKGROUND

Thyroid hormones play a vital role in regulating our body's metabolism. Two important thyroid hormones released from the thyroid gland are- tri-iodothyronine (T3) and tetra-iodothyronine (T4). Thyroid stimulating hormone and thyroid regulating hormone control the T3 and T4 levels in our body. Increased TSH levels indicate hypothyroidism and decreased TSH levels indicate hyperthyroidism. Iodine is a crucial nutrient for the synthesis of thyroid hormones and is mostly obtained from our diet. Other essential nutrients for the thyroid hormones formation include selenium, iron, vitamin D, vitamin B12, etc. Dietary changes in these nutrients can result in alterations in thyroid function and structure. Although, normally the hormonal diseases cannot be cured but we can improve their signs and symptoms using suitable dietary supplements.

OBJECTIVE

To thoroughly analyze the various benefits and risks associated with the use of dietary supplements for the prevention and treatment of various thyroid disorders, like hypothyroidism, as seen in hashimoto's thyroiditis; hyperthyroidism, as seen in grave's disease, sick euthyroidism and subclinical hypothyroidism.

METHODS

Literature was searched using the search terms; "dietary supplements+ thyroid diseases" on pub med, google scholar, scopus, cochrane library and other search engines and data was collected from 1967- November 2021 including research inputs from the authors. The literature was thoroughly read and deep knowledge was acquired on this topic, which was then sequentially organized and summarized using suitable tables and figures.

CONCLUSION

After analyzing the various studies on this topic we arrived at the conclusion that although, there are various claimed and observed health benefits of dietary supplements in prevention and treatment of various thyroid disorders; but still several studies have shown that, there are many risks associated too with the use of dietary supplements, and people using these products should be aware of these risks in order to use them very judiciously for the improvement of their thyroid status.

Nutraceuticals in the Mediterranean Diet: Potential Avenues for Breast Cancer Treatment

The traditional Mediterranean Diet constitutes a food model that refers to the dietary patterns of the population living in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea in the early 1960s. A huge volume of literature data suggests that the Mediterranean-style diet provides several dietary compounds that have been reported to exert beneficial biological effects against a wide spectrum of chronic illnesses, such as cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and cancer including breast carcinoma. Among bioactive nutrients identified as protective factors for breast cancer, natural polyphenols, retinoids, and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and antitumoral properties. The multiple anticancer mechanisms involved include the modulation of molecular events and signaling pathways associated with cell survival, proliferation, differentiation, migration, angiogenesis, antioxidant enzymes and immune responses. This review summarizes the anticancer action of some polyphenols, like resveratrol and epigallocatechin 3-gallate, retinoids and omega-3 PUFAs by highlighting the important hallmarks of cancer in terms of (i) cell cycle growth arrest, (ii) apoptosis, (iii) inflammation and (iv) angiogenesis. The data collected from in vitro and in vivo studies strongly indicate that these natural compounds could be the prospective candidates for the future anticancer therapeutics in breast cancer disease.