IODINE: Too much and you get hypothyroidism

We've all become iodine crazy. Scientists have convinced us that we're so low in the chemical that it's being added to a range of foods. Iodine helps the body synthesize the thyroid hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which are needed for healthy growth and development.

While it's true that some people in some regions of the world are deficient in iodine, recent developments in China may give us pause. There, iodine has been added to salt since 1996, and researchers are only now discovering that people are suffering from autoimmune thyroiditis, hypothyroidism and sub-clinical hypothyroidism.