Kelp tablets are used primarily as a source of iodine. Iodine is a critical component of both major thyroid hormones; T3 and T4. Both play a role in regulating metabolism but its T3 that is the most influential hormone. T3 contains three iodine atoms, while T4, naturally enough, contains four iodine atoms; both help influence your basal metabolic rate (BMR). The most common source of dietary iodine comes from seafood, and historically, people who did not live near bodies of salt water could not get enough iodine and often came down with a condition known as goiter, This is when the thyroid responds uselessly to insufficient iodine by swelling up. Nowadays, thanks in part to iodized salt, and a modern transportation infrastructure that can deliver fresh seafood to anywhere in the world, goiter is rare in the West. Old school bodybuilders felt that iodine would help reduce the amount of fat they gained when they were building muscle, and kelp tablets were a convenient way to get extra iodine without extra calories.
I am not much for putting salt on my food, and I don't like seafood, except for salmon and only because it contains collagen building blocks - even then, I eat it only occasionally. Upon learning about kelp tablets, I wondered if I was not getting enough iodine in my system, particularly since I was not eating any seafood then. Naturally enough I decided to by kelp tablets, since they are very cheap, and started taking them when I began my weight loss plan. As you will read during my first six weeks, I lost six pounds a week. Without question, I firmly believe taking kelp tablets contributed to this loss since I was getting very little dietary iodine. Whether or not you should take kelp tablets depend on how much iodine you get already. If you are eating seafood on a regular basis and/or using salt (most commercial table salts have at least some portion iodized), your iodine intake is probably enough for your thyroid to produce its hormone at its full potential. You would benefit little from taking kelp tablets. On the other hand, if you aren't getting all that much iodine, kelp tablets could help with your weight loss efforts, giving a boost to your BMR. If you do decide to try kelp tablets, spread your intake throughout the day, don't take them all at once. Your body only uses the iodine it needs at the moment and simply excretes the excess. I spread my intake three times a day; first thing in the morning, midday, and late afternoon. Excess iodine can be unhealthy, so limit your intake; I never saw any results from more than 900mg of iodine per day and that includes dietary iodine. Start slowly, taking one tablet in the morning, and if you do not feel any bad effects, you can continue. There's no advantage in any one particular brand of kelp. All Star Health has a good selection of kelp tablets at great prices I would start off buying fewer tablets first, just to see if you will benefit. Since I do benefit from kelp tablets, I like to use Nature's Life Icelandic kelp. It has a thousand tablets for under $10 - takes me forever to use them all up.