Abstract
Inadequate iodine intake has been identified in populations considered iodine replete for decades. The objective of the current study is to evaluate urinary iodine concentration (UIC) and the probability of adequate iodine intake in subgroups of the Norwegian population defined by age, life stage and vegetarian dietary practice. In a cross-sectional survey, we assessed the probability of adequate iodine intake by two 24-h food diaries and UIC from two fasting morning spot urine samples in 276 participants. The participants included children (n = 47), adolescents (n = 46), adults (n = 71), the elderly (n = 23), pregnant women (n = 45), ovo-lacto vegetarians (n = 25), and vegans (n = 19). In all participants combined, the median (95% CI) UIC was 101 (90, 110) µg/L, median (25th, 75th percentile) calculated iodine intake was 112 (77, 175) µg/day and median (25th, 75th percentile) estimated usual iodine intake was 101 (75, 150) µg/day. According to WHOs criteria for evaluation of median UIC, iodine intake was inadequate in the elderly, pregnant women, vegans and non-pregnant women of childbearing age. Children had the highest (82%) and vegans the lowest (14%) probability of adequate iodine intake according to reported food and supplement intakes. This study confirms the need for monitoring iodine intake and status in nationally representative study samples in Norway.
Highlights
Iodine is an essential nutrient required for the synthesis of the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine and thyroxine, which are critical to fetal brain development and metabolic processes in the body throughout life [1]
Iodine requirements increase during pregnancy and lactation, and inadequate iodine intake in pregnant and lactating women is of particular concern due to associations with impaired child development [9,10,11]
We found that children had the highest median urinary iodine concentration (UIC), the highest usual iodine intake and the indicate adverse neurocognitive outcomes in children born to mothers with iodine intakes below lowest probability of inadequate iodine intake
Summary
Iodine is an essential nutrient required for the synthesis of the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine and thyroxine, which are critical to fetal brain development and metabolic processes in the body throughout life [1]. Despite eradication of goiter for many decades, inadequate iodine status has recently been reported in Scandinavia, Britain and many other European countries [4,5,6,7,8]. Iodine requirements increase during pregnancy and lactation, and inadequate iodine intake in pregnant and lactating women is of particular concern due to associations with impaired child development [9,10,11]. Both iodine deficiency and excess have adverse health consequences [12,13], highlighting the need for Nutrients 2018, 10, 230; doi:10.3390/nu10020230 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients. Other countries in Europe and worldwide have handled this issue in different ways or have ignored it [6,16,17,18,19]
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