Iodine plays an important role in the generation of thyroid hormones and is mainly found in the soil in coastal areas and in seawater. In the developing nations, the individuals who live at high elevations or inland are generally deficient in iodine and can develop a condition known as goiters.
In the condition, the thyroid gland increases in size in an attempt to get more iodine. However, in the countries where iodine is added routinely to foods and table salt, the lack of dietary iodine is not the typical reason of goiters.
