In the daily life of the people, kelp is already a very common food, kelp is very popular because of its rich iodine element, long-term consumption has certain benefits. However, a large number of media have also reported that eating kelp as a meal will cause hyperthyroidism. How much iodine is in kelp? Does it really cause hyperthyroidism in people? Can you still eat kelp?
What does iodine do to the human body?
Before eating kelp, let's talk about what iodine really is and what it does in the human body.
In fact, everyone is not unfamiliar with iodine, it is one of the essential trace elements of the human body. The physiological function of iodine is mainly involved in the synthesis of thyroid hormones, and thyroid hormones have the effect of enhancing metabolism (such as maintaining normal body temperature, regulating human blood lipids, etc.), promoting growth and development, especially brain development.
What damage does excess energy do to the human body?
Both iodine deficiency and excess can cause damage to human health.
- Iodine deficiency: The harm of iodine deficiency is mainly caused by iodine deficiency disease, the most typical is the well-known "big neck disease", in addition to some intellectual and physical problems, and iodine deficiency in children and adolescents will affect growth and development.
- Iodine excess: Iodine excess can also affect thyroid function. People always think that eating too much iodine will cause hyperthyroidism, in fact, excessive iodine can lead to both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, of which excessive iodine in pregnant women can also lead to neonatal goiter and hypothyroidism.
Most current studies believe that iodine excess increases the prevalence of "autoimmune thyroid disease", but overall the effect of "iodine supplementation" is small. For example, a Danish study showed that after 6 years of iodine supplementation, the incidence of hyperthyroidism increased by only 0.04%.
How much iodine is there in kelp?
The foods with the highest iodine content are seafood, such as common kelp, shellfish, fish and shrimp. According to the data of the Chinese Food Composition Table, the iodine content of 100 grams of food (in micrograms) is 114 for fresh kelp, 350 for mussels and 83 for dried shrimp. Therefore, the iodine content in kelp is indeed very rich.
Does kelp cause hyperthyroidism?
News reports said that eating kelp as a meal every day caused hyperthyroidism. Is this really going to happen?
The iodine content of fresh kelp is 114 μg/100 g, while the mainland believes that the safety value of iodine is 600 μg, which translates into the amount of kelp consumption, which is almost 5.26 kg of fresh kelp per day, almost 11 kg of kelp. That said, it's safe to eat 11 pounds of kelp a day.
Kelp is eaten as a meal every day, let alone as a staple food. The latest dietary pagoda in the mainland recommends that the amount of grain staple food per day is 250-400 grams, calculated according to the maximum amount of 400 grams, and the safety line of 11 kilograms is still small and big, which can be considered safe.
Nutritional value of kelp
- Balanced sodium intake
Kelp is rich in potassium, which can well balance the problem of excessive sodium intake, excessive intake of sodium, and easy to raise cardiovascular problems.
- Prevent cancer
Kelp is extremely rich in calcium, and calcium can help us prevent acidification of the blood, which greatly prevents the high incidence of cancer.
- Prevent constipation and promote gastrointestinal motility
Kelp is rich in soluble dietary fibrin, and the algal gum substances contained in it can absorb water well, promote gastrointestinal peristalsis, soften stool, help reduce constipation, and increase the patency of bowel movements.
- Prevention of thyroid diseases caused by iodine deficiency
Kelp is rich in iodine. The iodine contained in kelp is an important component of the body's thyroid hormones. Therefore, once the human body is iodine deficiency, the hormonal function of the thyroid gland is disturbed, which can easily lead to a high incidence of thyroid diseases. At the same time, iodine deficiency, the thyroid gland makes the body's carbohydrates, fat oxidation is not sufficient, easy to lead to cholesterol and visceral fat increase, the formation of arteriosclerosis and obesity.
- Increases blood and clotting of blood
The content of iron and vitamin B12 in kelp is an important substance for hematopoiesis for the human body, and kelp contains substances that reduce blood viscosity, so kelp has a two-way effect of both tonifying blood and preventing blood clotting.
Precautions for eating kelp
Kelp is good, but it can't be eaten wantonly, and there are many things to pay attention to.
- Do not eat as a staple food
Kelp contains a large amount of iodine, can not be eaten as a staple food for a long time, and kelp contains a certain amount of arsenic, too much arsenic intake can cause acidosis. Therefore, before eating kelp, it should be rinsed with water, so that arsenic is dissolved in water, soaked for 24 hours and changed frequently, so that the arsenic content in kelp can meet food hygiene standards.
- Special groups of people eat kelp with caution
Kelp cold, spleen and stomach deficiency with abdominal pain, diarrhea those eat with caution. Kelp contains a lot of iodine, hyperthyroidism people eat too much is easy to aggravate the disease, pregnant women and nursing mothers do not eat more kelp, in order to prevent excessive iodine through the blood circulation into the fetus and baby, causing thyroid dysfunction.
- Do not eat it in people with allergies
As a kind of seafood, kelp contains allergens, and excessive consumption of friends who are prone to allergies can easily cause allergic dermatitis and even affect the respiratory system.
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