Nutritional Supplement
Kelp
Possible Deficiencies
People who avoid sea vegetables, as well as dairy, seafood, processed food, and the salt shaker, can become deficient in iodine. Iodine deficiency can cause low thyroid function, goiter, and cretinism. Although iodine deficiency is now uncommon in Western societies, the U.S. population has shown a trend of significantly decreasing iodine intake.
Side Effects
There have been several case reports of high intakes of kelp providing too much iodine and interfering with normal thyroid function.2,3,4,5,6 People with thyroid disease should check with a doctor before taking supplements that contain kelp.