Radioiodine treatment is commonly used to kill cancer cells that attack the thyroid gland and other diseases in the area. However, in order for it to give a good result, doctors recommend taking a course of diet before starting the procedures. An iodine-free diet before treatment with radioactive iodine is a prerequisite for all patients, since it is incredibly important to form a sharp iodine deficiency in the body. With proper treatment, the probability of curing cancer is within 80%, but the diet itself has a number of significant contraindications. Exactly how the iodine-free diet is used before radioiodine therapy will be discussed in this article.
Historical background
This diet itself was invented relatively recently by endocrinologist N. Fetisova, who works in St. Petersburg. After conducting a series of studies in her practical work, she noticed that an iodine-free diet before cancer treatment optimally prepares the human body for subsequent procedures, and also does not have a strong negative effect on it.influence. After that, this type of diet gradually became mandatory in the process of preparing the patient for radioiodine therapy, together with the replacement of drugs with thyroxine.
The essence of the diet
In many ways, this type of diet is quite similar to a vegetarian one, since the use of animal products is not allowed, because they initially contained a high amount of iodine. An iodine-free diet before treatment with radioactive iodine does not make it completely expelled from the diet, but it greatly limits the natural intake of this substance in the body. Of course, it cannot be used for a long time, since such a deficiency of an important element can have a very negative impact on the internal state of the body.
An artificially created iodine deficiency helps the depleted thyroid gland to capture the injected radioactive iodine at an accelerated rate, which subsequently leads to the destruction of cancer cells and cells of the thyroid gland itself.
Such a diet is by no means intended for weight loss or self-use in the treatment of diseases, since it greatly disrupts the balance of minerals in the body. It is prescribed purely by a doctor for the purpose of therapy, according to individual indicators. An iodine-free diet can be incredibly dangerous for he althy people, so it is used only when indicated.
Diet rules
In order for the iodine-free diet to have the greatest effect, you should follow a few fairly simple rules:
1. caloriesdaily ration should remain at the right level, depending on the person's weight, age and daily physical activity, so that the body does not experience a lack of calories.
2. The daily menu should be carefully compiled from the list of allowed products.
3. Bread and pasta should be prepared at home and not bought from the store. They should be made without milk or eggs as they are high in iodine.
4. Any food prepared at home and outside must be made using regular s alt only.
However, in general, this diet is quite simple - a complete rejection of foods and drugs that contain large amounts of iodine. The standard daily allowance for an iodine-free diet of this element should not exceed 50 micrograms.
Allowed Foods
When asking what can be consumed on an iodine-free diet, one should understand which foods contain the minimum amount of this substance. These include:
1. Pasta and flour products made without the use of eggs, butter, milk and iodized s alt.
2. Variety of fresh or frozen vegetables.
3. Legumes - white beans, lentils and chickpeas.
4. Chicken and quail white meat.
5. Fresh fruits like grapefruit, peaches, pineapples, avocados, apples.
6. Erythrosin-free drinks - herbal teas, natural coffee, green teas and herbal infusions.
7. Vegetable oil and seasonings like paprika and black pepper.
Forbiddenproducts
Foods completely banned on an iodine-free diet include:
1. Milk and other dairy products.
2. Marine fish and other seafood, as well as all those based on algae, such as nori, agar-agar and sea kale.
3. Legumes and red beans.
4. All products that have egg yolk in their composition.
5. Soy products like beans, milk and tofu.
6. Fresh herbs and green vegetables - zucchini, olives, cauliflower, green peppers.
7. From fruits, bananas, cherries, persimmons, prunes and bananas should be discarded.
8. Any snacks and convenience foods as they are made with iodized s alt.
9. Any products that contain erythrosin - this dye initially contains iodine.
Foods to limit
In addition to the prohibited and permitted foods on an iodine-free diet, there are a number of ingredients that are allowed to be consumed in limited quantities. It contains a fairly low amount of iodine, but they can only be eaten in a minimal amount. These products include:
1. Meat (veal, beef, liver, chicken) - a piece no larger than a palm.
2. River fish (zander, pike).
3. Cereals - buckwheat, rice, millet, oatmeal. Do not eat more than 1 cup of this product in finished form per day.
Features of the diet
In total, you have to sit on such a dietabout 2-3 weeks. Typically, this time is enough to create an iodine deficiency, although it increasingly depends on the individual characteristics of the person. When prescribing an iodine-free diet, the doctor must be guided by numerous factors, such as the severity of the disease, age, weight, and the dose of radioactive iodine that will be injected during the procedure.
It is necessary to follow a similar diet not only for the entire period of radioiodine therapy, but also for a couple of days after it ends. However, one should take into account the fact that by the end of the course, the patient may feel very lethargic and drowsy, since the balance of microelements is disturbed quite strongly. However, with the restoration of normal nutrition, all symptoms disappear quickly and do not entail serious consequences.
Creating a menu
At the moment, doctors usually offer a special balanced weekly diet that will help you easily overcome the prescribed period of dieting. However, there is often a lack of time for preparing special dishes, so you can create a menu yourself. You should be guided here by the list of allowed products, occasionally diluting it from the list of restricted ones. In fact, it is quite diverse, so the patient will not experience much discomfort in terms of nutrition.
After the end of treatment, after a couple of days, you can begin the gradual introduction of prohibited products into the diet. This should be done gradually, one or two products a day. This is especially true for smoked and fatty products,because there is a possibility of overloading the liver and pancreas.
Medications
In addition to nutrition, you need to limit the intake of iodine from medicines. First of all, treatment with an iodine mesh should completely stop - it is even forbidden to treat wounds with iodine itself, since it is absorbed into the body. It is also not recommended to use Lugol's solution, which contains a large amount of this substance in its composition.
In addition, special attention should be paid to vitamin complexes and supplements that can be taken by the patient. Most multivitamins contain iodine in high enough amounts that they must be removed from the diet during treatment. The remaining drugs, if they contain iodine, must be replaced with analogues that have the same effect, but do not contain this element.
Efficiency
Judging by the reviews, an iodine-free diet before starting treatment is quite effective. In practice, it has been shown that patients who underwent a course of such nutrition recovered much faster and more intensively than those who decided to abandon it. The iodine-free diet has shown itself to be excellent as part of complex therapy, which is used in cases of thyroid cancer.
Carrying it is also quite easy, since the daily amount of calories consumed does not decrease at all. The patient does not feel hunger or discomfort, although at times there may be a feeling of weakness andheadache, but they disappear fairly quickly.
But in general, such a diet is quite beneficial for the body, because, despite the imbalance of minerals, plant foods allow you to unload the body from harmful and fatty animal foods, and at the same time rid it of accumulated toxins and toxins. It is used for a relatively short time and only according to strict indications, so it does not have any particular harmful effects. It should be prescribed only by a specialist who calculates the duration of its use and the recommended diet, and not independently, since this can only aggravate the disease.
