doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-005520. Iodine deficiency is a nutritional imbalance resulting from not consuming enough iodine in your diet. The UK Iodine Group was formed in June 2012 with the aim of ensuring that iodine deficiency is eradicated in the UK. to facilitate the 50% surge in thyroid hormone production in early pregnancy. Endocr Rev 2009;30(4):376-408. Adequate levels of iodine during pregnancy are essential for fetal neurodevelopment, and mild iodine deficiency is … J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2009;94(9):3234-41. 2013 Jul 27;382(9889):331-7. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60436-5. Keywords: Iodine is required for the production of thyroid hormones, T4 and T3, and these hormones are required for regulation of metabolic rate, growth and development. Environ Geochem Health. Diet and Lifestyle Before and During Pregnancy - Practical Recommendations of the Germany-wide Healthy Start - Young Family Network. COVID-19 is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation. MC_PC_15018/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom, MR/K02132X/1/Medical Research Council/United Kingdom. As pregnancy is the most critical time for brain development, we evaluated iodine status in pregnant women in Surrey (n = 100) and Oxford (n = 230). Lancet 2011;377(9782):2007-12. We investigated whether that level of iodine deficiency was associated with adverse child cognitive effects using stored samples and data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. Proc Nutr Soc 2012;71:E143. Proper thyroid function – metabolism and cognitive health Strong and focused immune system Read more about us and our history. Iodine deficiency in pregnant women living in the South-East of the UK: the influence of diet and nutritional supplements on iodine status. BMC Med. Iodine deficiency might be contributing to the large increase in thyroid problems being seen clinically. By the early part of the 20th century a goitre belt was described that extended from the West Country and included Derbyshire – where goitre was so common it was called ‘Derbyshire neck’. Goitre (the physical symptom of iodine deficiency) was found in several regions – including the South West, Wales and the Peak District. Iodine is a difficult element to get naturally in the diet, which is why much of the world has addressed iodine deficiency by fortifying foods and providing iodized salt – but iodine deficiency clearly persists in populations and it is Takele WW, Alemayehu M, Derso T, Tariku A. BMC Res Notes. Delayed neurobehavioral development in children born to pregnant women with mild hypothyroxinemia during the first month of gestation: the importance of early iodine supplementation. HHS There are only two iodine intervention studies that have been conducted in pregnant women in regions of mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency with child cognitive outcomes;3,4 both studies found that iodine supplementation benefitted child cognition though the results should be interpreted with caution as unfortunately neither study was randomised nor placebo controlled. Prevalence of maternal dietary iodine insufficiency in the north east of England: implications for the fetus. Proc Nutr Soc. It can fuel the immune system attacks. Kibirige MS, Hutchison S, Owen CJ, Delves HT. Abel MH, Caspersen IH, Sengpiel V, Jacobsson B, Meltzer HM, Magnus P, Alexander J, Brantsæter AL. Iodine deficiency disorders The 'iodine deficiency disorders' are largely the result of an inadequate production of thyroid hormones. It is clear that iodine excess should be avoided as there may be deleterious consequences for thyroid hormone production (both hypo- and hyperthyroidism).2 The safe upper limit is approximately 600 µg/day for adults (>12 years) and pregnant women2 but individuals with chronic iodine deficiency may adversely react to levels lower than this if thyroidal adaptation to low iodine supply has occurred. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2010;95(7):3207-15. The United Kingdom is now classified as mildly iodine deficient by the World Health Organization, based on a 2011 national study of 14-15-year-old schoolgirls. No. We’ve known since 2011 that the UK population is mildly iodine defi cient.  |  2020 Aug 11;18(1):211. doi: 10.1186/s12916-020-01676-w. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). Bath S, Walter A, Taylor A, Rayman MP. Thyroid and iodine nutritional status: a UK perspective. USA.gov. Iodine deficiency is diagnosed across populations and not specifically in individuals. It is found in certain foods and iodized table salt. In fact, the country now ranks seventh among the ten most iodine-defi cient nationsin the world, one of only two high-income countries on the list. Iodine concentration of organic and conventional milk: implications for iodine intake. Oxford women had similarly low status. People who … There is evidence that certain groups of the UK population, particularly pregnant women and women of childbearing age, are iodine deficient which is therefore of considerable public-health concern. iodine deficiency, UI and TGP, for each country for which data are available. 1,2, The effects of mild to moderate deficiency, however, are less well known. Iodine status of UK schoolgirls: a cross-sectional survey. Barnett C, Visser T, Williams F, et al. Kelp supplements should not be used as an iodine source and should not be recommended to pregnant women owing to the risk of excessive iodine intake.2. Epub 2018 Sep 25. There is a known seasonal variation in the iodine content of milk with higher levels in winter milk than summer milk as cows are more reliant on mineral-fortified feed in the winter.7 In addition organic milk has an iodine concentration that is over 40% lower than that of conventional milk.18, Table 1: Approximate iodine concentration in a range of foods17, *Actual iodine content will vary ‡Lower iodine concentration for organic Iodine deficiency. The median urinary iodine concentration was 85.3 μg/L in Surrey women, considerably lower than the WHO/United Nations Children's Fund/International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders cut-off of 150 μg/L. cating mild iodine deficiency, with low UI of <100 μg/l present in over two-thirds of the girls and a small number having very low levels <50 μg/l. Bath SC, Walter A, Taylor A, Wright J, Rayman MP. Bath SC, Rayman MP. Iodine status of UK women of childbearing age. Sarah is registered dietitian and has worked with the BDA to produce an Iodine Food Fact Sheet. Rayman MP, Sleeth M, Walter A, Taylor A. Iodine deficiency in UK women of child-bearing age. Bath SC, Steer CD, Golding J, Emmett P, Rayman MP. Dietetic Jobs This article was written by Dr Sarah Bath, an MRC Population Health Scientist Research Fellow at the University of Surrey who has been researching iodine in the UK since 2006. Iodine deficiency is a lack of the trace element iodine, an essential nutrient in the diet. Vegans, Vegetarians, and Omnivores: How Does Dietary Choice Influence Iodine Intake? In adjusted analyses, we found a significant association between low maternal iodine status in early pregnancy (urinary iodine-to-creatinine ratio <150 μg/g) such that children had an approximately 60% greater risk of being in the bottom quartile of scores for verbal intelligence quotient, reading accuracy and comprehension. 11. Lancet. Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! 17. Bath S, Button S, Rayman MP. 16. A Systematic Review. 2018 Oct 17;11(1):738. doi: 10.1186/s13104-018-3829-0. Lancet 2013:doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60436-5. Melse-Boonstra A, Jaiswal N. Iodine deficiency in pregnancy, infancy and childhood and its consequences for brain development. It is important to note that there is no method for diagnosing iodine deficiency in an individual; urinary iodine concentration can be used to assess the status of a group or population, but it is inappropriate for use in an individual. Without sufficient dietary iodine many of our body’s systems and functions (particularly the thyroid) will operate below par, and a prolonged deficiency will cause disease. 5. **Depending on the season, higher value in winter. In the UK and other developed countries, there is more concern about the effects of mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency. 1. WHO, UNICEF, ICCIDD. If you compare a list of iodine deficiency symptoms, and a list of hypo symptoms, you will find they are more or less the same About us Push to increase the supply and availability of iodized salt in the UK A joint initiative of British Salt The United Kingdom is now classified as mildly iodine deficient by the World Health Organization, based on a 2011 national study of 14-15-year-old schoolgirls. 2. We are a committee of experts in thyroid, nutrition and public health. While randomized controlled trials in severe iodine deficiency have shown that iodine deficiency in pregnancy causes impaired offspring cognition, less is known of the effects in regions of mild/mild-to-moderate deficiency. Adequate iodine intake is important during pregnancy as it is a component of the thyroid hormones that are crucial for fetal brain and neurological development. Iodine deficiency persisted until the 1960s and was eradicated, not by the usual practice of an iodised-salt programme, but through an adventitious increase in milk-iodine concentration and concurrent increase in milk consumption.7 Milk-iodine concentration increased as a result of changes in the dairy-farming industry with increased use of iodine-fortified cattle feed and iodine-containing disinfectants (iodophors). This site needs JavaScript to work properly. Lampropoulou M, Lean M, Combet Aspray E. Iodine status of women of childbearing age in Scotland. Raising concerns, Address The UK population is now classified as mildly iodine-insufficient. BDA Food Fact Sheet - Iodine. The approximate iodine content of a range of foods is shown in Table 1. In collaboration with researchers at the University of Bristol, Professor Margaret Rayman and I were able to investigate this relationship by measuring iodine status in 1,040 pregnant women that were recruited to the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parent and Children (ALSPAC) in the 1990s. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2004;89(5):F436-9. 151-165 Edmund Street, 2014 Dec;14 Suppl 6:s7-11. Maternal urinary iodine concentration in pregnancy and children's cognition: results from a population-based birth cohort in an iodine-sufficient area. soya milk) are not enriched with iodine. 15. 9. 2018 Dec;78(12):1262-1282. doi: 10.1055/a-0713-1058. Evidence suggests that women who have a good supply of iodine prior to conception have a better thyroid hormone profile during pregnancy than those who abruptly increase their iodine intake at the start of pregnancy.16, In view of the evidence of iodine deficiency in certain groups of the population and the fact that there is very little information on iodine available to health professionals or the general public, Professor Rayman and I have produced a BDA Iodine Food Fact Sheet.17. Goitre develops at low iodine intakes and this hyperplasia of the thyroid is an adaptive response to low iodine supply by increasing the iodine-trapping potential of the thyroid. The objective of this report is to provide an updated analysis of the iodine deficiency situation in … 19. 18. 7 8. If you take iodine supplements, do not take too much as this could be harmful. 7. Phillips DI. And, iodine will not fix it, either, only make the problem worse. Iodine, milk, and the elimination of endemic goitre in Britain: the story of an accidental public health triumph. J Epidemiol Community Health 1997;51(4):391-3. 2020 May 29;12(6):1606. doi: 10.3390/nu12061606. Winter 2020 edition out now. An iodine deficiency can cause uncomfortable and even severe symptoms. Maternal thyroid function in different conditions of iodine nutrition in pregnant women exposed to mild-moderate iodine deficiency: an observational study. A dietary assessment will reveal those who are not frequent consumers of iodine-rich foods and should ring warning bells; if concerned, the individual could be referred to their GP for thyroid-function tests. UK women who might become pregnant should ensure they have adequate iodine status to avoid compromising their children's brain development. There is an increase the requirement of maternal iodine during pregnancy to supply thyroid hormones essential for … Anyone who completely avoids dairy products and fish or consumes them in limited quantities is at risk of iodine deficiency.  |  2015 Aug;37(4):619-29. doi: 10.1007/s10653-015-9682-3. Vanderpump MP, Lazarus JH, Smyth PP, et al. The results, published in the Lancet in May 2013, showed that low iodine status during early pregnancy (urinary iodine/creatinine ratio <150 µg/g) was significantly associated with the child being in bottom quartile of scores for verbal IQ at age eight (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.09–2.30; p=0.02), reading accuracy (OR 1.69, 95% CI 1.15-2.49; p=0.007) and reading comprehension (OR 1.54, 95% CI 1.06-2.23; p=0.02) at age nine years following adjustment up to 21 potential confounding variables 6 this study suggests that mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency ALSPAC women was associated with long-lasting effects on child cognition. Berbel P, Mestre JL, Santamaria A, et al. Milk and dairy products are the principal source of iodine in the UK; other rich sources include seafood and eggs. As urinary iodine is considered as good biomarker of iodine status, the WHO recommends comparing the median urinary concentration value from a group of spot-urine samples to published criteria for determining population iodine status.1 The first national survey of iodine status in the UK for more 60 years was reported in 20118 - the urinary iodine results from over 700 schoolgirls (14-15 years) revealed mild iodine deficiency and the authors urged a comprehensive review of iodine status in the UK.8 There are also a number of small, localised studies that measured urinary iodine excretion in women of childbearing age, finding that they were mildly iodine deficient9-11 and deficiency has been demonstrated in pregnant women in south-east12 and north-east England,13 Scotland14 and Cardiff.15, These studies raise concern – they not only suggest that UK pregnant women are not meeting their iodine requirement, but that young women may be entering pregnancy with low thyroidal iodine stores which are inadequate to maintain thyroid function during pregnancy. Our Volunteer Hub is full of tools and resources to help our wonderful team of over 350 volunteers. Hyperthyroidism and Iodine Deficiency Iodine is vital for the development of our brain cells and for the regulation and production of the thyroid hormones. There are several studies that relate mild thyroid hormone deficiency in pregnancy to a negative effect on child cognitive development5 but these studies have not measured iodine status during pregnancy and therefore, until recently, the effect of in utero mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency on child cognition has been relatively unexplored. In the Peak District, it was so common it was called Derbyshire neck. NLM Many dairy-milk substitutes (e.g. Researchers are warning iodine deficiency could be becoming endemic in the UK and are suggesting manufacturers should start adding it to table salt. 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