U.S. public warned about need for iodized salt |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on [PUBL_DATE] |
Often when discussing the need for iodized salt, the message is directed outside the developed world, leading Americans, Europeans and Australians, for example, to think IDD is someone else's problem. A news study reported in Reuters gets it right: adequate iodine is a crucial concern to all women of childbearing age.
Researchers from University of Messina (Italy) conducted a long-term study of thyroid function in 100 consecutive pregnant women from a mildly iodine-deficient area who had normal thyroid gland function when they were 6 to 9 weeks pregnant. Sixty-two women had regularly consumed iodized salt for at least 2 years prior to becoming pregnant, whereas 38 did not start using iodized salt until they became pregnant. The rate of thyroid failure was nearly 6-fold higher in short-term users of iodized salt compared with long-term users.
The study serves as a reminder that eternal vigilence (and use of iodized salt) is crucial to keep IDD from compromising fetal brain development: a message too often ignored by North American news outlets.
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