Goiter News and Research

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Goiter, also sometimes known as goitre, is a health condition that involves the enlargement of the thyroid gland. This causes the formation of a lump in the front of the neck. The lump is usually mobile and moves up and down when the patient swallows.

Too little or too much iodine may push immunity off balance

This narrative review finds that adequate iodine supports thyroid hormone signaling, leukocyte metabolism, antioxidant defenses, and antimicrobial activity in humans and domesticated mammals. Both deficiency and sustained excess may impair immunity or promote thyroid inflammation, but precise immune-specific intake thresholds remain uncertain.

27 Jul 2026

Can diet influence thyroid disease? A major review points to Mediterranean-style eating

This review found that thyroid health depends on more than iodine alone, with selenium, iron, zinc, vitamins, omega-3s, and overall eating patterns all shaping thyroid function and autoimmunity. It also concluded that Mediterranean-style diets are linked to more favorable thyroid outcomes, while unnecessary restrictive diets offer little benefit without a clear medical indication.

7 Apr 2026

Research suggests bamboo-based foods could support metabolic health

This systematic review synthesizes human, in vitro, and food-processing studies on bamboo consumption, finding limited but suggestive evidence for metabolic, digestive, and antioxidant benefits when products are properly prepared. It also highlights safety considerations, including potential goitrogenic effects from inadequately processed shoots, and calls for higher-quality human trials.

18 Jan 2026

Iodine fortification urged as plant-based milk rise in popularity

Iodine content in plant-based milks is often insufficient, risking deficiencies that affect metabolism and public health, especially in reproductive-age women.

20 Jun 2025

Higher BMI, not menopause age, increases hypothyroidism risk

Researchers analyzed over 15,000 postmenopausal Canadian women to investigate whether age at natural menopause influences the risk of developing overt hypothyroidism. The study found no association, but higher BMI was linked to increased hypothyroidism risk.

29 May 2025

Vegetarians may need to watch thyroid health, especially with low iodine intake

Vegetarians had a modestly higher risk of developing hypothyroidism compared to high meat-eaters, but only after adjusting for BMI. No increased risk was seen for vegans or pescatarians in incident cases, though pescatarians showed a slight increase in baseline prevalence.

11 May 2025

Study shows how autism-linked picky eating causes serious vitamin deficiencies

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face a high risk of multiple micronutrient deficiencies, especially vitamins A, D, B12, and calcium, due to extreme food selectivity. These deficiencies can lead to severe health issues like rickets, vision loss, and immune dysfunction, even in children with normal body weight.

13 Mar 2025

Understanding the genetics behind thyroid cancer to prevent unnecessary invasive treatments

Researchers at the University of Colorado School of Medicine are hopeful new research could prevent up to 130,000 unneeded fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsies of thyroid nodules and subsequent surgeries each year in the United States by better understanding the genetic risk associated with thyroid cancer.

1 Apr 2024

Rising alcohol consumption in China linked to increased risk of 61 diseases

The associations between alcohol consumption and the risk of diseases in Chinese adults.

12 Jun 2023

Green macroalgae Ulva: Future superfood?

A recent study published in the journal Algal Research summarized the existing knowledge on bioactive compounds in green seaweeds and Ulva spp., focusing on its application as a future superfood.

29 Mar 2023

Iodine deficiency may be making a comeback due to changing eating habits in Canadian communities

Iodine deficiency, a public health concern resolved decades ago, may be making a comeback due to changing eating habits, according to new findings by McMaster University researchers.

11 Jul 2022

Toxic goiter affects the brain more than previously thought

Toxic goiter affects the brain more than was previously known, a University of Gothenburg study shows, and involves volume changes occurring in central parts of the brain.

8 Feb 2022

Thyroid cancer linked to in-utero exposures, study shows

A recent study by prof. Tone Bjørge, University of Bergen, and her team shows that thyroid cancer is related to in-utero exposures.

5 Jan 2021

What seniors should know before going ahead with elective procedures

For months, Patricia Merryweather-Arges, a health care expert, has fielded questions about the coronavirus pandemic from fellow Rotary Club members in the Midwest.

6 Jul 2020

Mount Sinai physicians emphasize the importance of early detection, treatment of thyroid disease

January is Thyroid Awareness Month, and physicians from the Hilda and J. Lester Gabrilove Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Bone Disease and the Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery at the Mount Sinai Health System are emphasizing the importance of being aware of symptoms that may be related to thyroid disease.

12 Jan 2020

No symptoms? No thyroid testing!

The Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care has published new recommendations that rule out the need to do a thyroid screening test “just because” if the patient doesn’t have symptoms of thyroid abnormality, is an adult, isn’t pregnant, and has no risk factors for thyroid disease. This should put to rest any doubts that thyroid screening is a part of a routine check-up.

18 Nov 2019

New study highlights need for expanding access to surgery for children in somaliland

Children in Somaliland suffer a significant burden of health conditions -- particularly congenital deformities and wound-related conditions -- that could be bettered by surgery, but most of these needs are being unmet, according to a study by Baylor University and Duke University published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

29 Jan 2019

IBS researchers devise nanochannels for iodide transport in cell membranes

Exchange of iodide (iodine ions) between bloodstream and cells is crucial for the health of several organs and its malfunctioning is linked to goiter, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, breast cancer, and gastric cancer.

8 Jun 2017

First national survey reveals high burden of iodine deficiency among Israelis

62% of school-age children and 85% of pregnant women in Israel have low iodine intakes, according to the country's first national iodine survey. Government funding and legislation, and a government-regulated program of salt or food iodization, are essential to reducing the deficiency, which poses a high risk of impaired neurological development.

27 Mar 2017

PolyU researchers discover inadequate intakes of micronutrients among Hong Kong lactating women

While breastfeeding has become more common across the globe in recent years, lactating women may not be aware of the nutrient adequacy of their breast milk and how their daily diet affects their nutrition intakes.

29 Jul 2016