The thyroid gland takes the iodine you ingest and converts it into two hormones—thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). T4 and T3 regulate your body's metabolism of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Every cell in your body depends on T4 and T3, so if you don’t have enough, you aren’t functioning well. Moreover, iodine supports healthy breast tissue by up-regulating proteins involved in estrogen metabolism.
Even if you are a healthy eater, you may benefit from BioTE supplements. Some foods can cause a relative iodine deficiency by binding to iodine, which can make the bound iodine inaccessible for thyroid hormone production. These foods include broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, soy, peanuts, pine nuts, turnips, and rutabaga, although cooking these foods tends to make them less apt to do this. While these foods provide important nutrients, it is also important to ensure your body has enough iodine to function at an optimal level.
BioTE Iodine+ supplements also contain other essential ingredients—selenium and zinc. Selenium and zinc are needed to help with the formation of active thyroid hormone (T3).