Most of us never give much thought to iodine. Tucked away in table salt or the back of a multivitamin bottle, it rarely grabs headlines the way vitamin C, D, or iron deficiency does. Yet, according to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements (NIH ODS), this trace mineral quietly powers some of the body’s most vital systems — and when it’s missing, the consequences can ripple through nearly every aspect of health.Iodine’s claim to fame is its critical role in thyroid health. The thyroid gland — a butterfly-shaped organ at the base of the neck — depends on iodine to produce hormones that regulate metabolism, energy, and growth, according to the NIH ODS. Without enough iodine, the thyroid struggles to do its job, leading to fatigue, weight changes, and s
