(More on goitrogens below.) Another common cause of goiter is inflammation of the thyroid, adds Dr. Barlow. This is called ...

An enlarged thyroid is also known as a goiter. According to the Mayo Clinic, goiters themselves are harmless — though they can be uncomfortable, and cause pain when swallowing or coughing ...

led to the "characteristic neck swellings": enlarged thyroid glands. But after iodine supplements were shown to help prevent them, iodised salt was "rolled out" in 1924. By the 1940s, goiters had ...