{
  "dataset": "iodine-cost-by-brand",
  "title": "Iodine Supplements Compared — cost per RDA-equivalent (150mcg), and which products are NOT daily-dose products at all",
  "sourcePage": "https://verifiedsupplementdata.com/iodine/best-overall/",
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licenseUrl": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "attribution": "Verified Supplement Data (2026), Iodine Cost Comparison",
  "dateModified": "2026-07-19",
  "methodology": "All 6 tracked iodine products disclose an exact mcg-iodine figure on the label — there is no label-transparency gap in this category. The honest axis instead is DOSE CATEGORY: 4 of 6 products (4) sit at or under the 1100mcg adult upper limit and are ranked by costPerRdaEquivalent = (price / (servings x mcg)) x 150 (the cost of one RDA-equivalent 150mcg dose). The other 2 products are standalone potassium iodide at 65mg (65,000mcg, ~59x the UL — an emergency/radiological-protection dose) and Optimox Iodoral at 12.5mg (12,500mcg, ~11x the UL — a Lugol's-derived high-dose \"protocol\" product). Neither is an RDA-range daily supplement, so costPerRdaEquivalent is deliberately null for both and they are EXCLUDED from the daily ranking, surfaced only as flagged contrast cases. EVIDENCE CONTEXT — the U-shaped curve: Teng 2006 (PMID 16807415, 5-year China cohort, n=3,018) found BOTH mild deficiency AND more-than-adequate/excessive iodine intake associated with higher rates of overt hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, and autoimmune thyroiditis — more iodine is not automatically better. Kelp-form iodine is naturally variable: Aakre 2021 (PMID 33889064) found 54 of 96 surveyed kelp/seaweed products would exceed the UL in a single portion or dose. Adult RDA 150mcg/day, pregnancy 220mcg/day, lactation 290mcg/day, upper limit 1100mcg/day (NIH ODS Iodine Fact Sheet for Health Professionals). No citation in this evidence base supports megadose \"iodine protocols.\" This statement has not been evaluated by the FDA; these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.",
  "headline": {
    "productsCompared": 6,
    "dailyRankEligible": 4,
    "flaggedNotDaily": 2,
    "rdaMcg": 150,
    "pregnancyRdaMcg": 220,
    "lactationRdaMcg": 290,
    "ulMcg": 1100,
    "cheapestPerRdaEquivalent": 0.0165,
    "cheapestPerRdaBrand": "Life Extension",
    "rdaMatchedBrand": "NOW Foods",
    "note": "Ranked by dose-category eligibility FIRST (RDA-to-under-UL vs emergency/megadose), then cost per RDA-equivalent — never by commissions. The 65,000mcg potassium-iodide and 12,500mcg Iodoral products are flagged, not ranked as daily picks."
  },
  "columns": [
    "brand",
    "product",
    "slug",
    "form",
    "mcgPerServing",
    "servings",
    "price",
    "costPerServing",
    "costPerRdaEquivalent",
    "verdict",
    "dailyRankEligible",
    "thirdParty"
  ],
  "units": {
    "mcgPerServing": "mcg iodine (disclosed)",
    "price": "USD",
    "costPerServing": "USD/serving",
    "costPerRdaEquivalent": "USD per 150mcg (one RDA-equivalent dose)"
  },
  "citations": [
    {
      "claim": "5-year prospective cohort, n=3,018 across 3 Chinese regions with mildly deficient, more-than-adequate, or excessive iodine intake: populations with more-than-adequate or excessive intake had significantly HIGHER rates of overt hypothyroidism, subclinical hypothyroidism, and autoimmune thyroiditis than the mildly-deficient group. The core U-shape finding.",
      "source": "Teng W, Shan Z, Teng X, et al. 2006, N Engl J Med",
      "pmid": "16807415"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Survey of 96 commercially available kelp/seaweed products: wholefood macroalgae products contained 128-62,400mcg iodine per portion; supplements ranged 5-5,600mcg per daily dose. 54 of 96 products surveyed would exceed the 1,100mcg UL in a single portion or dose.",
      "source": "Aakre I, Solli DD, Markhus MW, et al. 2021, Food Nutr Res",
      "pmid": "33889064"
    },
    {
      "claim": "Mechanistic review: acute iodine overload transiently blocks thyroid hormone synthesis (Wolff-Chaikoff effect); a normal autoregulatory \"escape\" resolves this, but fails in susceptible individuals, causing chronic iodine-induced hypothyroidism. Separately, excess iodine can trigger Jod-Basedow hyperthyroidism in people with nodular goiter.",
      "source": "Bürgi H. 2010, Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab",
      "pmid": "20172475"
    },
    {
      "claim": "RDA/UL figures (150mcg adult RDA, 220mcg pregnancy, 290mcg lactation, 1,100mcg adult UL incl. pregnancy/lactation) cross-checked against a government reference.",
      "source": "NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Iodine Fact Sheet for Health Professionals",
      "pmid": null
    }
  ],
  "products": [
    {
      "brand": "Life Extension",
      "product": "Sea-Iodine, 1000mcg",
      "slug": "life-extension-sea-iodine-1000mcg",
      "form": "Veg capsule (kelp + bladderwrack)",
      "mcgPerServing": 1000,
      "servings": 150,
      "price": 16.49,
      "costPerServing": 0.11,
      "costPerRdaEquivalent": 0.0165,
      "verdict": "near-ul-flag",
      "dailyRankEligible": true,
      "thirdParty": "None stated"
    },
    {
      "brand": "NOW Foods",
      "product": "NOW Supplements Kelp, 325mcg Natural Iodine",
      "slug": "now-kelp-325mcg-iodine",
      "form": "Veg capsule (kelp)",
      "mcgPerServing": 325,
      "servings": 250,
      "price": 12.24,
      "costPerServing": 0.05,
      "costPerRdaEquivalent": 0.0226,
      "verdict": "rda-adjacent-under-ul",
      "dailyRankEligible": true,
      "thirdParty": "None stated"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Nutricost",
      "product": "Kelp Tablets, 325mcg Iodine",
      "slug": "nutricost-kelp-325mcg-iodine",
      "form": "Tablet (kelp)",
      "mcgPerServing": 325,
      "servings": 240,
      "price": 11.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.05,
      "costPerRdaEquivalent": 0.023,
      "verdict": "rda-adjacent-under-ul",
      "dailyRankEligible": true,
      "thirdParty": "None stated"
    },
    {
      "brand": "NOW Foods",
      "product": "NOW Supplements Kelp, 150mcg Natural Iodine",
      "slug": "now-kelp-150mcg-iodine",
      "form": "Tablet (Norwegian kelp)",
      "mcgPerServing": 150,
      "servings": 200,
      "price": 7.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.04,
      "costPerRdaEquivalent": 0.0398,
      "verdict": "rda-matched",
      "dailyRankEligible": true,
      "thirdParty": "None stated"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Nutricost",
      "product": "Potassium Iodide (KI), 65mg",
      "slug": "nutricost-potassium-iodide-65mg",
      "form": "Capsule (potassium iodide)",
      "mcgPerServing": 65000,
      "servings": 90,
      "price": 12.95,
      "costPerServing": 0.14,
      "costPerRdaEquivalent": null,
      "verdict": "emergency-dose-not-daily",
      "dailyRankEligible": false,
      "thirdParty": "None stated"
    },
    {
      "brand": "Optimox",
      "product": "Iodoral 12.5mg",
      "slug": "optimox-iodoral-12500mcg",
      "form": "Tablet (potassium iodide + free iodine, Lugol's-derived)",
      "mcgPerServing": 12500,
      "servings": 90,
      "price": 38.89,
      "costPerServing": 0.43,
      "costPerRdaEquivalent": null,
      "verdict": "megadose-protocol-not-recommended",
      "dailyRankEligible": false,
      "thirdParty": "None stated"
    }
  ]
}