Iodine Foods During Pregnancy

Most foods are relatively low in iodine content.

Iodine foods during pregnancy. Iodine plays an important role in regulating your thyroid gland. In the absence of prophylaxis in the uk awareness of nutritional recommendations during pregnancy would empower mothers to make the right dietary choices leading to adequate iodine intake. It also regulates your baby s metabolism the rate at which the body uses energy. The iodine requirements during pregnancy are quite different from those in non pregnant women or in lactating mothers.

Iodine is essential for healthy brain development in the fetus and young child. While our bodies require only the teeny tiniest amount of it only 5g over the course of a 70 year lifetime that little bit is really important iodine deficiency in pregnancy and early childhood is the most preventable cause of intellectual disability in the. How iodine rich foods during pregnancy affects brain development in a study done in australia researchers from the university of tasmania have found that mothers who suffered from mild iodine deficiency had children who went on to have lower scores in literacy particularly in spelling. Iodine is essential to the development of your baby s brain and nervous system.

Adequate levels of iodine during pregnancy are essential for fetal neurodevelopment and mild iodine deficiency is linked to developmental impairments. A woman s iodine requirements increase substantially during pregnancy to ensure adequate supply to the fetus.