Iodine Foods For Pregnancy

Women s iodine requirements increase substantially especially during pregnancy to ensure adequate supply to the fetus.

Iodine foods for pregnancy. While iodine supplements are available iodine is also frequently added to other foods as a fortification. 290 mcg per day. This is why many people around the world are at risk of developing a deficiency. 220 micrograms mcg per day.

The iodine requirements during pregnancy are quite different from those in non pregnant women or in lactating mothers. Adequate levels of iodine during pregnancy are essential for fetal neurodevelopment and mild iodine deficiency is linked to developmental impairments. The foods highest in iodine include. In places where iodine fortification is common iodine deficiency is rare.

Yet many women are unknowingly deficient in this nutrient due to the increased demand for iodine by the body in the early weeks of pregnancy. Most foods are relatively low in iodine content. A woman s iodine requirements increase substantially during pregnancy to ensure adequate supply to the fetus. Iodine is essential for healthy brain development in the fetus and young child.

Iodine is an important mineral though few food sources are rich in it. A lack of iodine during pregnancy has been linked with an increased risk of miscarriage preterm delivery and stillbirth. The moms in this study took 11 times more than the safe upper limit while pregnant and or breastfeeding. Iodine plays an important role in regulating your thyroid gland.

Generally lactating mothers require higher iodine of around 290mcg as compared to non pregnant women who need around 150mcg on a daily basis. That may sound like a lot but if a woman is consuming a prenatal vitamin plus additional supplemental iodine along with foods high in iodine such as kelp seaweed she could be consuming too much. Iodine is a mineral found in food and one of the most important minerals a fetus needs for brain development and physical growth. 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.

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. 150 mcg per day.