Although iodine-has been used as a therapeutic agent for many years, information concerning its absorption, excretion, and physiological effect in normal men' is not extensive. Several investigators have studied the uptake of iodine in the normal and pathological thyroid (1,2,3,4,5) and others, in balance studies, have sought to measure the daily iodine requirement of the body as a whole (6,7,8,9). In general, very small amounts of iodine were used in these studies and the results cannot be applied readily to the fate of large quantities of iodine. This study deals with the absorption and excretion of iodine in quantities ranging from 20 mgm. to 440 mgm. per day, more than a thousand times the estimated daily requirement (4, 10), but within the range of clinical administration for syphilis, roentgenography, and for use as an expectorant, and only slightly above the commonly administered dosage of Lugol's solution for the treatment of thyroid disorders (11 ).Two toxic effects of iodine in normal human subjects are well known, the direct toxic action of free iodine in aqueous or alcoholic solution on tissue protoplasm, and iodism or iodine sensitiveness, occurring in a small percentage of cases (12,13,14). It was formerly thought that iodine could give rise at times to hyperthyroidism (15,16,17), but more recently the consensus is that iodine has no effect on the basal metabolic rate of normal persons (4,18,19,20,21). Studies in this regard, however, have been limited. The few subjects used were not closely observed or were not followed for more than one or two weeks. Iodized salt has been used in large population groups without ill effect (22) but the amount of the halogen ingested daily was very small. In rabbits, a fall in metabolism due to Lugol's solution has been noted, reaching minimum values on the third day, and followed by a return to normal (23). Other animal studies have been equivocal in this regard (24,25,26,27,28). Iodine has been thought to increase nitrogen excretion in dogs and in man. (29).In the present study a group of 13 healthy soldiers ingested large quantities of water containing an average of 34.8 mgm. per liter of iodine over a period of 38 days.' Iodine absorption from the gastrointestinal tract, excretion in the urine, sweat, and feces, and the concentration of iodine in the plasma were determined. A rough balance study was possible. The subjects worked and lived throughout the test in a hot humid environment. This led to the consumption of large amounts of iodine containing water and facilitated the study of iodine excretion in the sweat. The men were subjected to severe physical stress and observations were made on general health, work performance, acclimatization to heat, and basal metabolic rate. METHODSExperimental conditions. The subjects were divided into groups A and B, of 3 and 10 men respectively, on the basis of physical characteristics and work performance during a preliminary control period of 6 days.
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