Iodized Salt?

[Starcadia]

Does anyone know if the salt in snus is iodized or not? I'm asking because I've recently discovered that the thyroid gland requires iodine to function effectively, and vegetarians must generally get their iodine from either iodized salt or sea plants. I've been thinking about taking a supplement for iodine until it occurred to me that maybe I'm getting enough iodine from the salt in snus, as well as from the seaweed I get from Japanese rolls.

[SeneNatten]

My understanding is that you only need about one teaspoon of iodized table salt per day to meet daily requirements. That's about 150 micrograms of iodine. Any food from the ocean will have more than enough iodine on its own. If you're concerned, just add a little bit of table salt to your food (yummy!). Unless you're on a prescribed no-sodium diet, there's a large gap between not enough iodine and too much salt. If you are on a no-sodium diet, mention your iodine concerns to the person who put you on that diet. No need to waste money on a supplement unless directed to do so by your doctor, especially when a bin of iodized salt costs less than a dollar.

That said, I doubt the sodium chloride used in snus is iodized.

[Sal1000us]

Starcadia, I take a multi-vitamin daily which also contains necessary amounts of iodine. I started taking multi-vitamins when I came across a medical literature which discussed how tobacco depleted the following vitamins/minerals: Vitamin A, Vitamins C, E, and B-complex (especially B12), Beta-carotene, Folic acid and folates, Zinc, and Selenium.

[Starcadia]

Good info, Sene and Sal. When I thought about my possible sources of iodine it occurred to me that I was most likely getting enough with my typical daily diet.

Sal, I didn't know tobacco depleted those things. Does that include snus, or do you mean smoked tobacco? I ask because I remember hearing how smoking cigarettes depletes certain vitamins and minerals some time ago.

[Sal1000us]

Good question starcadia. I read the article last year when I was smoking and remember it was about tobacco in general (not snus specific) and since I was smoking cigs I started taking multi-vitamins to compensate for the depletion of vitamins. I believe one can argue that some or most of the vitamins are depleted because of the many chemicals that are present when burning a cig. To be on the safe side, I am still taking the same multi-vitamins from GNC.

[Sal1000us]

Attached research article from Oxford university indicateds that vitamin depletion in smokeless tobacco is caused by antioxidents which are present in Indian smokeless tobacco. Not snus-specific, but good research information on the subject.

http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi.../89/2/547#BIB3