Iodine (Potassium Iodide)

What is Iodine (as Potassium Iodide)?

Iodine is an essential trace mineral required for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, primarily thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones regulate metabolism, thermoregulation, energy expenditure, and even cognitive function (1).

Optiventure uses potassium iodide, a highly soluble, stable salt that delivers iodide ions that are absorbed almost completely in the upper intestine and rapidly taken up by the thyroid gland. This form, with roughly 76% iodine and 23% potassium (15), offers improved stability and uptake in individuals with compromised absorption or increased physiological needs (2).

Each dose of Optiventure contains 105mcg of potassium iodide, which is a precisely calibrated dose designed to complement the demands of an active lifestyle and dietary insufficiency.

Why Do Outdoor Adventurers Need Iodine?

Whether you're sweating on sun-baked ridgelines or trekking in cold mountain air, your metabolism is in overdrive and you’re losing iodine by the minute. It’s essential for endurance, mental clarity, temperature regulation, and fat metabolism, and not something you want to skimp on.

Iodine is especially useful for:

• Regulating metabolism through thyroid hormone activity (2,3)
• Supporting mental focus and neurological function (2,4)
• Maintaining body temperature regulation in cold climates (2,5)
• Preventing fatigue, weakness, and weight gain from thyroid dysfunction (6)

Given the critical role iodine plays in energy and performance, it’s a non-negotiable.

Interestingly, potassium iodide - the form we’ve included in Optiventure - is most well known for protecting the thyroid when our bodies are exposed to radiation (16). We haven’t included it in dosages big enough to protect you from Hiroshima-levels of radiation, but given the number of phone signal towers popping up at lookouts, it sure doesn’t hurt to have it!

Dietary Sources of Iodine?

Iodine is found in seafood, dairy, seaweed, and iodised salt. However, intake is highly variable depending on soil and water iodine content, dietary patterns, and use of non-iodised gourmet salts (7).

Australian soils are naturally quite low in iodine, and even though mandatory iodine fortification in bread was introduced in 2009, deficiency rates have risen since due to shifts away from iodised salt and increased consumption of plant-based diets (8,13).

The most common way to get iodine on trail is through an electrolyte, high-salt dehydrated meals, or snacking on salted nuts throughout the day. 

What’s the Best Form of Iodine For Hikers?

• Potassium iodide: Common in fortified salt; bioavailable, inexpensive, stable, and gentle on stomachs
• Iodine from kelp: Natural, but varies significantly in content and may contain heavy metals (9)
• Ferrous bisglycinate chelate with iodine: A chelated form providing stable, efficient iodine delivery with minimal GI side effects (10)

Optiventure uses iodide for its enhanced bioavailability, stability, and cost-effectiveness to keep the price of our supplement affordable for everyone. The chelated form is also a great one, but the performance benefits it offered were negligible compared to potassium iodide.

Key Information About Iodine

Deficiency Stats

The Australian Health Survey (2011–12) found that 2-8% of adults had inadequate iodine intake, with rates higher in women of reproductive age (12). Deficiency symptoms include:

• Fatigue and low energy
• Poor concentration or ‘brain fog’
• Cold intolerance
• Weight gain

Prolonged iodine deficiency can lead to goitre or hypothyroidism.

Why Optiventure Has 105mcg of Potassium Iodide

105mcg of potassium iodide is enough to keep your thyroid humming on trail days while staying comfortably within internationally accepted safety margins. We chose this dose to support you in the best way possible out there. Here’s why:

• Doses between 100-300mcg/day have no adverse effect on thyroid function in adults already consuming enough and may even offer mild anti‑inflammatory benefits (13).
• Providing around 70 % of the RDI allows hikers to top up through meals without exceeding safe limits.
• Unlike food items, supplemental iodide has standardised dosages, ensuring predictable uptake even when digestion is slowed by cold or altitude
• Potassium iodide is free of heavy‑metal contaminants and is unlikely to cause gastric upset at our dosage
• Potassium iodide is an affordable, sensible choice that allows us to keep the overall cost of Optiventure in a bracket that’s practical for long-term use, so we can all reap the benefits. 

Whenever you’re planning on pushing your limits, you want to make sure you’ve got optimal iodine levels in your body. 

References

1. Zimmermann, M. B. (2009). Iodine deficiency. Endocrine Reviews, 30(4), 376–408. https://doi.org/10.1210/er.2009-0011
2. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. (2024). Iodine – Health professional fact sheet.https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-HealthProfessional/
3. Andersson, M., de Benoist, B., & Rogers, L. (2010). Iodine deficiency in Europe: A continuing public health problem. WHO Press. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/70118
4. Bath, S. C., Steer, C. D., Golding, J., Emmett, P., & Rayman, M. P. (2013). Effect of inadequate iodine status in UK pregnant women on cognitive outcomes in their children: Results from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). The Lancet, 382(9889), 331–337. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60436-5
5. Laurberg, P., Pedersen, K. M., Hreidarsson, A. B., Sigfusson, N., Iversen, E., & Knudsen, P. R. (1998). Iodine intake and the pattern of thyroid disorders: A comparative epidemiological study. European Journal of Endocrinology, 139(6), 584–590. https://doi.org/10.1530/eje.0.1390584
6. Delange, F. (2001). Iodine deficiency as a cause of brain damage. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 77(906), 217–220. https://doi.org/10.1136/pmj.77.906.217
7. Charlton, K., Yeatman, H., Lucas, C., Axford, S., Ma, G., & Poorun, K. (2010). Suboptimal iodine status of Australian pregnant women reflects poor knowledge and practices related to iodine nutrition. Nutrition, 26(10), 963–968. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nut.2009.08.018
8. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ). (2023). Iodine fortification and nutritional status. https://www.foodstandards.gov.au/science/monitoringnutrients/iodinefortification
9. Teas, J., Pino, S., Critchley, A., & Braverman, L. E. (2004). Variability of iodine content in common commercially available edible seaweeds. Thyroid, 14(10), 836–841. https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2004.14.836
10. EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS). (2010). Scientific opinion on the safety of iodine chelate complexes. EFSA Journal, 8(9), 1802. https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1802
11. National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). (2006). Nutrient Reference Values for Australia and New Zealand: Iodine. https://www.nrv.gov.au/nutrients/iodine
12. Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2014). Australian Health Survey: Usual Nutrient Intakes. https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/health/health-conditions-and-risks/usual-nutrient-intakes/latest-release
13. Welham, R., Thomas, R., & Sanders, T. A. B. (2024). A systematic review and meta-analysis of iodine nutrition in modern vegan and vegetarian diets. British Journal of Nutrition, 132(3), 469–483. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114524000077
14. Teas, J., Pino, S., Critchley, A., & Braverman, L. E. (2004). Variability of iodine content in common commercially available edible seaweeds. Thyroid, 14(10), 836–841.https://doi.org/10.1089/thy.2004.14.836
15. Costa, R. O., Macedo, P. M., Carvalhal, A., & Bernardes‑Engemann, A. R. (2013). Use of potassium iodide in dermatology: Updates on an old drug. Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia, 88(3), 396–402. https://doi.org/10.1590/abd1806‑4841.20132377
16. Lopes, J. P. da S., Barbosa, J., & Dinis‑Oliveira, R. J. (2024, July 11). Clinical and forensic aspects of potassium iodide: Suddenly in high demand across Europe due to fears of radiation poisoning from a nuclear attack in Ukraine. Basic & Clinical Pharmacology & Toxicology. Advance online publication.https://doi.org/10.1111/bcpt.14052
17. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. (n.d.). Iodine [Fact sheet for health professionals].https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Iodine-HealthProfessional/