Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Effect of lifelong iodine supplementation on thyroid 131-I uptake: a decrease in uptake in euthyroid but not hyperthyroid individuals compared to observations 50 years ago

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 60, pages 210–213 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Background:

In Sweden, iodine has been added to table salt (10 mg/kg) since 1936; this amount was increased in 1966 to 50 mg/kg.

Objective:

To investigate a euthyroid Swedish population (n=44, 60–65 years) with its entire lifespan with iodine supplementation as for 24-h 131-I uptake (24h IU) and thyroid nodularity (thyroid scintigraphy). To compare the euthyroid 24h IU with uptake of thyrotoxic individuals, and with observations from 1955.

Methods:

The 24h IU was used in euthyroid individuals after oral administration of 0.1 MBq/2.7 μCi radioiodine and imaging of the thyroid gland was carried out using 99mTc-pertechnetate.

Results:

In 1999–2000, the mean 24h IU in the euthyroid individuals was 21% (range 11–33%) and the normal (central 95%) reference interval was 14–30%. Scintigraphy suggested multinodular goitre in three euthyroid individuals. In Graves' patients (n=53, 50–65 years), the mean 24h IU was 61% (range 29–89%). In 1955, the 24h IU in euthyroid individuals was higher (38%, range 10–70%), while hyperthyroid patients had uptake values similar to those recorded in the present investigation (mean 62%, range 40–90%).

Conclusions:

The population sample studied had to be small for ethical reasons. We conclude that the reference interval for 24h IU is 14–30% in this population that had spent its entire lifespan with iodine supplementation. This is lower than that recorded in a Swedish euthyroid population half a century ago having had low-grade table-salt iodine supplementation for 20 years. Values for hyperthyroid patients, however, do not appear to have been affected likewise.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Figure 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Arger PH, Jennings AS, Gordon LF, Coleman BG, Axel L, Kressel HY et al. (1985). Computed tomography findings in clinically normal and abnormal thyroid patients. J Comput Tomogr 9, 111–117.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Berg GE, Michanek AM, Holmberg EC, Fink M (1996). Iodine-131: treatment of hyperthyroidism; significance of effective half-life measurements. J Nucl Med 37, 228–232.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hooper PL, Caplan RH (1977). The thyroid uptake of radioactive iodine in hyperthyroidism. JAMA 238, 411–413.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kungliga Medicinalstyrelsen (1936). Förebyggande åtgärder mot endemisk struma. Medicinalväsendet 30, (in Swedish).

  • Kungliga Medicinalstyrelsen (1966). Jodering av koksalt. Medicinalväsendet 11, (in Swedish).

  • Larsson LG (1955). Studies on radioiodine treatment of thyrotoxicosis with special reference to the behaviour of the radioidine tracer tests. Acta Radiol, suppl 126 (Suppl), 5–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milakovic M, Berg G, Nyström E, Lindstedt G, Gebre-Medhin M, Eggertsen R (2004). Urinary iodine excretion and thyroid volume in a Swedish population. J Int Med 255, 610–614.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pitttman Jr JA, Dailey III GE, Beschi RJ (1969). Changing normal values for thyroidal radioidine uptake. N Engl J Med 280, 1431–1434.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zvonova IA (1989). Dietary intake of stable and some aspects of radioiodine dosimetry. Health Physics 57, 471–475.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Agneta Lundström for technical assistance. We wish to express our gratitude to Professor emeritus Lars-Gunnar Larsson for kindly giving us access to his data from 1955. We acknowledge the valuable help of Professor emeritus Göran Lindstedt in interpreting data from the reference population. The King Gustav V Jubilee Clinic Cancer Research Foundation, Göteborg, supported this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Primary Health Care, Mölnlycke Primary Health Care and Research Centre, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

    M Milakovic & R Eggertsen

  2. Department of Oncology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg university, Göteborg, Sweden

    G Berg

  3. Department of Medicine, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden

    E Nyström

Authors
  1. M Milakovic
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. G Berg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. R Eggertsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. E Nyström
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to G Berg.

Additional information

Guarantor: M Milakovic.

Contributors: MM collected data from the uptake measurements and compared the data with previous studies, GB was responsible for the nuclear medicine investigations and radiation aspects, RE was responsible for the establishment of the Mölnlycke population studies and mainly responsible for the contact with participants and, EN was responsible for endocrine and statistical aspects of the study. All authors contributed to the analysis and interpretation of data, and the preparation of the manuscript.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Milakovic, M., Berg, G., Eggertsen, R. et al. Effect of lifelong iodine supplementation on thyroid 131-I uptake: a decrease in uptake in euthyroid but not hyperthyroid individuals compared to observations 50 years ago. Eur J Clin Nutr 60, 210–213 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602290

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602290

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links