The thyroid gland is the only part of the body that uses iodine
The thyroid gland is unique among all human tissues for its exclusive ability to absorb and utilize iodine to produce essential metabolic hormones.
The thyroid's follicles act as biological traps, pulling 10% to 30% of all dietary iodide from the blood using a specialized protein called the sodium-iodide symporter. It then organifies roughly 120 micrograms of this iodine daily into thyroglobulin to create the hormones T3 and T4, which act as the throttle for the body's metabolism.
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