People who swim in heavily chlorinated pools can sometimes exhibit thyroid disorders.
THE THYROID
I cannot say this enough but: the thyroid is an extremely underrated component of your body.
Situated on the lower front part of your neck, the thyroid gland determines your burn rate, where / how you store fat, your body temperature, glucose energy (i.e.: sugar) use, and muscle repair rate.
The thyroid gland's favorite food is IODINE, which it needs in large amounts to feed the hormones it produces that perform the function mentioned above ^^.
CHLORINE
We know that pools are often treated with loads of chlorine - especially during the summer months when everyone is frolicking (and peeing...) in the pools.
In chlorine-treated swimming pools, "the chlorine binds with waste products from your body. Anything that washes off or comes from inside your body is a waste product. Examples of waste products include pee, sweat, dirt, make-up, deodorant, hair products, etc".
HOW ARE THEY RELATED?
Because of those magic toxin-killing powers, chlorine is known as an "endocrine / hormone disruptor".
If chlorine is absorbed into the body in high, frequent amounts, chlorine can actually masquerade around as iodine! 😱 (recall that your thyroid's favorite food is iodine).
This means that the thyroid might THINK its taking up iodine to feed it's little hormone babies, when in reality it's actually taking up chlorine instead!
When the thyroid gland does not eat enough iodine, it can lead to hypothyroidism...aka potential weight gain, irritability, brittle nails, slowed heart rate.
