Iodine capsules from kelp – 200 µg iodine per capsule, 110 capsules

The EU has authorised five health claims for iodine. They apply when a daily portion provides at least 15 % of the reference value; one capsule provides 133 %.

• Iodine contributes to the normal production of thyroid hormones and normal thyroid function.
• Iodine contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism.
• Iodine contributes to normal cognitive function.
• Iodine contributes to normal functioning of the nervous system.
• Iodine contributes to the maintenance of normal skin.

Other statements, for example about weight loss or hair, are not authorised for foods.

The German Nutrition Society (DGE) recommends 150 µg iodine per day for adults, 220 µg during pregnancy and 230 µg during breastfeeding. This refers to total intake from foods and supplements. For pregnant and breastfeeding women, the DGE additionally recommends a supplement with 100 µg (up to 150 µg in pregnancy) per day alongside iodised salt; with thyroid disease, only after speaking to a doctor.

Important sources are sea fish, milk and dairy products, eggs and iodised salt, including in bread, sausage and cheese.

Iodine tablets from the pharmacy usually contain potassium iodide in a precisely set amount. In this product, the iodine comes from the powder of the brown seaweed Ascophyllum nodosum (kelp). Seaweeds accumulate iodine from seawater, but the content varies with species, location and harvest.

A study of 96 seaweed products found iodine amounts of 5 to 5,600 µg per daily dose in supplements, and for several products the label was inaccurate (PubMed 33889064). For this product, the manufacturer states 200 µg per capsule.

There is no time of day at which iodine has been shown to work better. According to the label, you take one capsule daily with plenty of fluid; if swallowing is difficult, the capsule can be opened and the contents stirred into water.

If you take thyroid hormones, they are usually taken at a fixed interval from meals. How iodine fits in is something to clarify with your doctor.

The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) proposes a maximum of 100 µg iodine per day for food supplements, and 150 µg for pregnant and breastfeeding women. EFSA has set a tolerable upper intake level of 600 µg per day from all sources for adults.

One capsule of this product contains 200 µg iodine and is therefore above the BfR proposal, but below the EFSA upper level. If you eat a lot of sea fish, dairy products or seaweed, or take other iodine-containing products, you reach high amounts more quickly. Whether iodine makes sense for you is best discussed with the ORY expert team or with your doctor or naturopath.

Not without speaking to a doctor first. With Hashimoto's thyroiditis, thyroid nodules or an overactive thyroid, additional iodine can change thyroid function. A review describes that larger amounts of iodine can trigger both under- and overactivity in susceptible people (PubMed 38870258).

Iodinated X-ray contrast media and the heart medicine amiodarone also contain a lot of iodine. If you have a thyroid condition or take medicines, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before use.

Iodine requirements rise during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and the DGE then recommends an iodine supplement after consulting a doctor. A Cochrane review, however, found too few good-quality trials to reliably assess the benefits and harms of routine supplementation (PubMed 28260263).

For this period, the BfR proposes at most 150 µg from food supplements; one capsule of this product, at 200 µg, is above that. Products with a fixed amount of potassium iodide are common at this time. Discuss your choice with your gynaecologist or midwife.

Most iodine is excreted in urine. The amount of iodine in urine therefore shows how much iodine was taken in over the last few days, but it varies from day to day. Blood values such as TSH, which a doctor orders and interprets, show how the thyroid is working.

ORY offers an iodine test from morning urine that measures iodine excretion relative to creatinine. What a value means for you is something you discuss with the ORY expert team or with your doctor or naturopath.

At ORY, measuring comes before supplementing: a lab report shows your current status, and a second measurement after a few months shows whether anything has changed. Especially with iodine, where both too little and too much are unfavourable, a measured value helps with the decision.

A lab report on its own is not a recommendation. Whether you supplement, and how much, is something you decide with the ORY expert team or with your doctor or naturopath.

One capsule contains 250 mg kelp seaweed powder (Ascophyllum nodosum) with 200 µg iodine, which is 133 % of the reference intake. Other ingredients are microcrystalline cellulose as a filler and a capsule shell made of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose. The capsules are vegan.

The pack contains 110 capsules (net weight 41 g) and lasts about three and a half months at one capsule a day. The unit price is €53.41 per 100 g.