Lack Of Dietary Iodine During Pregnancy

During pregnancy iodine is an important nutrient needed for the development of your baby s growing brain and nervous system.

Lack of dietary iodine during pregnancy. Most foods are relatively low in iodine content. The most severe manifestation is cret. Iodine is a necessary micronutrient for the production of thyroid hormones and normal human development. To ensure that everyone has a sufficient intake of iodine who and unicef recommend universal salt iodization as a global strategy.

Iodine deficiency during pregnancy can cause maternal and fetal hypothyroidism and impair neurological development of the fetus. Pubmed abstract delange f. Inadequate iodine intake during pregnancy is of particular concern as depending on the severity of deficiency it can result in miscarriages stillbirths cretinism irreversible mental retardation impaired psychomotor development and behavioural problems. Iodine requirements are increased 50 during pregnancy.

Iodine deficiency in pregnancy and the effects of maternal iodine supplementation on the offspring. Despite the significant worldwide strategies for the prevention and control of iodine deficiency it is still a prevalent public health issue especially in pregnant women. 4 min read iodine plays a crucial role when it comes to your metabolism and regulation of the 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.

Many women fail to make the necessary dietary amendments and as a result suffer from iodine deficiency thereby putting the life and health of their unborn child at risk. Iodine deficiency is one of the most common nutrient deficiencies in the world with almost one billion people affected. Am j clin nutr. Stillbirth miscarriage and preterm delivery have also.

A woman s iodine requirements increase substantially during pregnancy to ensure adequate supply to the fetus. Iodine is an essential trace element required for production of thyroid hormones and an increased supply of dietary iodine is of particular importance during pregnancy to compensate for foetal requirements within the united kingdom uk and ireland since the 1930s when iodine started to be added to cattle feed and successive uk governmemnts encouraged milk consumption in schoolchildren. In fact some studies have found that nearly 80 of people with low thyroid hormone levels which occur in cases of iodine. Brain damage and other intellectual disabilities can be caused by iodine deficiency.

The consequences depend upon the timing and severity of the hypothyroidism. The reason for the same may be attributed to the fact that during pregnancy a woman has to increase her iodine intake by a significant amount. Severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy and neonatal period is associated with many major and irreversible adverse. Adequate levels of iodine during pregnancy are essential for fetal neurodevelopment and mild iodine deficiency is linked to developmental impairments.