A podcast episode (Ask the Health Expert) hosted by JJ Virgin that centers on a listener question: "What happens when people lower iodine?" JJ interviews Dr. Alan Christensen (naturopathic endocrinologist, author of The Thyroid Reset Diet) about low-iodine diets and clinical research. Dr. Christensen cites trials where low-iodine targets (generally under ~100 micrograms/day, often 80–100 µg/day) produced improvements: in one study participants (average disease duration ~4 years; mean baseline TSH 14.1 U/mL; normal range 0.4–4.5) saw 78.3% return to normal thyroid function within three months on the diet. He notes non-responders often had extremely high baseline TSH or failed to reach low-iodine targets, and cautions that people on thyroid medication should work with their doctor because doses may need adjustment if thyroid function improves.
Questions this episode answers
Generally under 100 micrograms per day; often between 80 and 100 µg/day as the upper limit.
Mean baseline TSH was 14.1 U/mL; normal range stated as 0.4–4.5 U/mL.
78.3% of participants.
About four years on average.
Chapters
Hey, J.J. here. Can you believe how fast the holidays are knocking at the door this year? One minute it's pumpkin spice season, the next you're getting your guest room ready and wondering where their wrapping paper went. And that's when I turned to Wayfair. From bedding and towels to holiday decor and last minute stocking stuffers, Wayfair has everything you need to get your home and holidays together fast. And for way less. With Wayfair, I know I can refresh my guest room in no time. Maybe I'll add a soft new comforter or a few holiday throw pillows. With Wayfair, it's so easy and everything arrives super fast. Plus, there's free shipping for any order over $35 easy and total peace of mind. So whether you're hosting, gifting, or just adding those final festive touches, Wayfair has your back. And when the holidays wind down, Wayfair has everything you need to tuck it all neatly away. Smart storage solutions for every room from the kitchen to the closet. Get organized, refreshed and ready for the holidays. For way less head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Wayfair Every style, every home. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I R.com hey, it's JJ here.
You know, I've been talking about environmental toxins forever, and laundry detergent is a sneaky one.
A lot of them contain harsh chemicals.
Like dyes, preservatives, and even UV brighteners.
Those brighteners don't actually clean anything.
They just coat fabric so your eyes think things look whiter or brighter. That's more chemicals I don't want on my family's sheets or skin. And if you've got sensitive skin or allergies around the house, this can be a big problem. That's what got my attention about Earth Breeze.
It looks like a dryer sheet, but.
It'S actually laundry detergent. You toss one in the washer and that's it. No pouring, no mess, and no heavy plastic jug. Their packaging is lightweight cardboard, which helps reduce plastic waste. And if you choose the fragrance free option, it's gentle, hypoallergenic, non irritating and non sensitizing. I really like how simple it is and how fresh and clean everything comes out without those unnecessary chemicals. Right now you can try Earth Breeze for up to 40% off with free gifts@earthbreeze.com virgin that's earthbreeze.com virgin for up to 40% off plus free gifts on.
Your first order Ray Ban Meta Glasses come with open ear audio so you can listen to your favorite music without blocking out the world around you.
Hey Meta, play Gorgeous.
Here's Gorgeous by Doja Cat.
You can also ask Meta AI questions.
Hey Meta, when's Doja Cat's next concert?
Doja Cat is playing at the Los Angeles Theater next Tuesday.
Sweet Ray Ban Meta Glasses available at Ray Ban stores and other authorized retailers.
What Happens When People Lower Iodine? This is JJ Virgin, four time New York Times bestselling author, celebrity nutrition expert and Fitness hall of Famer. I've been on a lifelong conquest for answers to the toughest health questions and now I'm sharing what I found with you. Welcome to Ask the Health Expert.
Carly B.
From Facebook asks what happens when people lower iodine? Hey, it's JJ and today I've got my longtime friend Dr. Alan Christensen, aka Dr. C with me to answer this question. He's the perfect guy to answer it because he has been deep diving into iodine and its relationship to thyroid in his latest book, the Thyroid Reset Diet. He's a board certified naturopathic endocrinologist, New York Times bestselling author, and big time athlete, including the popular sport of mountain unicycling. Yes, really? We'll be right back with the answer. Stay with us.
Hey JJ Virgin here.
Okay, real talk.
So often the holidays sneak up on.
Me, travel, gifts, hosting, you know, all the things and suddenly it's like, wait.
Who spent what and where?
And I know I'm not the only one who's looked at a bill in January and thought, wow, that escalated quickly. If you want to keep your finances under control this holiday season, you need to be using Monarch. If you it's rated the Wall Street Journal's best budgeting app of 2025. Monarch is the all in one personal finance tool that brings your entire financial life together in one clean interface. On your laptop or on your phone. Monarch lets you link everything and gives you real time visibility so you're not shocked later. Right now, I've been checking the holiday spending category so I don't accidentally start the new year with that dreaded debt hangover. And honestly, just seeing everything laid out is already helping me stay more aware. This season, Monarch does the heavy lifting. It links your accounts in minutes, gives you smart categorization and super clear visuals. Yes, that end of year reset could be a real goal. This time, don't let financial opportunity slip through the cracks. Use the code virgin@monarch.com in your browser for half off your first year. That's 50% off your first year@monarch.com with the code Virgin.
Welcome to Walgreens. What can I help you with today?
Hi, I need a last minute gift for a secret Santa. Something thoughtful, impressive. Not a fruitcake.
We've got Ferrero chocolates, artisan coffees, even a spa kit. Any vibe you're going for, whatever says.
Wow, this guy's great at giving gifts.
How about this premium skincare gift set? Just need a bow. Will look like you planned it weeks ago.
Well, happy holidays, gifts, holiday decor, and more. The holiday road is long.
We're with you all the way, Walgreens.
I've treated thyroid disease for 25 years, give or take a bit. And these last several years, it's been more exciting than ever. As far as the new possibilities that have shown up. Researchers started really digging in deep starting around 2007, and their work has just now been emerging. The perspectives we have about what causes thyroid disease, what can help it, it's all changed, but it has yet to really reach the common understandings and common practices. It turns out that thyroid disease is much more reversible than we thought. So some of this got going by observing people who were on low iodine diets. Iodine diets like that are done because people get scans done and also they get treatments that need their thyroid to suck up a lot of iodine. They need their thyroid to be hungry for iodine, for the treatments and the scans to work well. And in preparation, they were put on diets of several weeks in which their iodine intake was restricted as much as possible. It was noticed that many saw big improvements to thyroid function during that dietary process, that their symptoms would get better, their blood levels would improve. And this prompted researchers to do some well organized clinical trials. So we've now had three big studies done on hypothyroidism, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, and subclinical hypothyroidism. And with these studies, the general format has been people have been taken with that type of thyroid disease and then randomized into two groups. One group is just observed and given no treatment and no special instructions. The other group is put on a low iodine diet. The targets vary. They're generally under 100 micrograms per day. Between 80 and 100 is often the upper limit. And they are then monitored. So what's happened is that in these settings, people see their thyroid function improve and come back to normal a really big percent of the time. In one of the representative studies that looked at hashimoto's people who were in the study had had thyroid disease for an average of four years. And they all had extremely low levels. So in terms of details for that, their TSH scores, which are backwards indicators of thyroid status, were averaging 14.1. Now, to put perspective on that, the normal range is 0.4 to 4.5. So they were more than threefold above the normal range. Remember, TSH is backwards, so it means they were badly low, you know, three times above normal. They were way outside of range. And yeah, they'd had thyroid disease about four years. They were not on treatment for it, they were not on thyroid medication. And over the course of three months, 78.3% of the participants had normal thyroid function, again by just the diet in three months. And nothing like that happened in the control group. This wasn't some kind of a fluke where it happened to all these people, it was just those on the diet. Now, some things that we do know is that not everyone responds like that. You know, not everyone did in those studies. Of those that didn't respond, however, most fell into one of two categories. So one category is that they did respond, but they didn't yet get normal. So what do I mean by that? Well, many people, even though the average TSH was 14, which is already high enough, many people had TSH scores that were much higher than that. Some were 50, some were 100. That was not uncommon. So those that were that high, almost all of them had their TSH scores drop by half or more. But within the three month timeframe, they were not yet back to normal. And it doesn't mean they weren't getting better. And the researchers themselves said that given more time, we would likely see more people achieve normal levels. But the worst of the worst didn't get there yet. Now, the other big category of non responders were looked at to see their iodine excretion levels. And the idea there was just to gauge how well they were avoiding iodine. And it turned out that almost all the non responders who weren't in that category of really high scores that were improving, they were not at the therapeutic target for iodine, meaning that they weren't following instructions, or perhaps the instructions weren't thorough enough for them, but there was still a lot of iodine they were being exposed to. But nearly everyone else, they got better, they responded. Now, we do know things are different for those who are on thyroid medication, and we do know that nothing works perfectly for everyone. But a very high percent of people with thyroid disease can see their thyroid function improve from this approach. Now this is my main focus in the Thyroid Reset Diet. I put this out into a system that anyone can follow. The important point I always like to stress is that if you're on thyroid medication, please do that with the guidance of your doctor, because if your thyroid gets better, you'll need a change to your medication. Without that, you can get too much. But this is a great opportunity for thyroid function to get better by itself, and many can see their symptoms get better and some can also see them no longer need medication.
This is JJ with Ask the Health Expert. I do this five times a week, so make sure you never miss a show by going to subscribe to JJ.
Toyota.
Thon is on, so stop by your local Toyota dealer and test drive a stylish new Camry or sleek and capable Corolla with great financing and lease options available to qualified customers. Visit buyatoyota.com for more Toyota yeah, let's go places.
Hello listeners, this is Anne Bogle, author, blogger and creator of the podcast what Should I Read next? Since 2016, I've been helping readers bring more joy and delight into their reading lives. Every week I tag all things books and reading with a guest and guide them in discovering their next read. They share three books they love, one book they don't, and what they've been reading lately, and I recommend three titles they may enjoy reading next. Guests have said our conversations are like therapy, troubleshooting issues that have plagued their reading lives for years and possibly the rest of their lives as well. And of course, recommending books that meet the moment. Whether they are looking for deep introspection to spur or encourage a life change, or a frothy page turner to help them escape the stresses of work, school, everything, you'll learn something about yourself as a reader and you'll definitely walk away confident to choose your next read, with a whole list of new books and authors to try. So join us each Tuesday for what Should I Read Next? Subscribe now wherever you're listening to this podcast and Visit our website whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com to find out more.
