If you are pregnant, you will want to make sure you learn about the latest recommendation to help protect your health and the health of your unborn baby. The Public Health Committee of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) issued a statement in late last year in the journal Thyroid, calling for pregnant women to supplement with iodine. Find out more about this important recommendation now.
According to the ATA, maternal iodine deficiency during pregnancy is considered the number one preventable cause of mental retardation in the world. Insufficient iodine leaves the mother unable to produce enough thyroid hormone during pregnancy, which can cause irreversible fetal brain damage. The body doesn’t produce iodine itself, so the iodine is obtained through food and supplements, including iodized salt.
While iodine deficiency is common throughout the developing world, it is also seen in some developed countries, including the U.S. and Europe. In North America, the main source of iodine is dairy products, also bread, seafood, meat, and iodized salt. Iodine content can vary, however, from very little, to high amounts. Such variance is seen in milk, bread, and even infant formula, where iodine is essential for nutrition. Table salt in the U.S. and Canada is iodized, but studies have shown that only 70% of consumers are using iodized salt at home. Salt in processed foods, which provide the majority of our salt intake, is typically not iodized in the United States and Canada.
And because diets vary, some North Americans may not be getting enough iodine. Many brands of prenatal vitamins also do not include iodine. The ATA recommends that until additional data are available, supplementation with 150 mcg. iodine per day during pregnancy is in keeping with the current recommendations of national and international groups for increased iodine intake in pregnancy and lactation, and appears to be safe. (But always check with your doctor about taking any supplements or medications during pregnancy, of course.)
Find out more about having a healthy pregnancy with thyroid disease.
Source: Becker, David et. al., "The Public Health Committee of the American Thyroid Association, Iodine Supplementation for Pregnancy and Lactation— United States and Canada: Recommendations of the American Thyroid Association,” Thyroid, Volume 16, Number 10, 2006
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