Retracted: Severe iodine deficiency from dietary restriction and subsequent iodine excess from seaweed snack overuse in an adolescent with disordered eating

Individuals with disordered eating commonly exclude salt and animal products from their diets, which may predispose them to iodine deficiency even without significant weight loss. Overconsumption of dietary supplements and "natural" foods are also commonly observed among eating disorder patients. This report describes an adolescent female with disordered eating presenting with growth and pubertal delay, found to have severe iodine deficiency (urine iodine of 18 mcg/L) and abnormal thyroid function resulting from strict avoidance of salt and animal products despite adequate caloric intake. To avoid having to start eating animal products, she began consuming excessive quantities of seaweed supplements to increase her iodine intake resulting in excessive iodine levels (urine iodine of >1,500 mcg/L) and worsening of thyroid function. When her parents began supervising her nutritional intake, her abnormal iodine levels, abnormal thyroid function tests, and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism all resolved. This is the first report of both iodine deficiency and iodine excess developing from disordered eating behavior.