Abstract
Despite universal salt iodization programmes implemented over the last decades, iodine deficiency remains a major public health problem in many countries worldwide. Endeavors are still required to ensure sufficient iodine intake in the populations at risk in order to eliminate deficiency. Iodine is crucial for the synthesis of thyroid hormones triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), as well as for the thyroid health. When iodine levels are insufficient, T4 attests toward the lower limit of the physiological range, causing subtle fluctuations in the T3:T4 ratio. Monitoring these variations may be an accurate way to assess patient's iodine status. Recently, a number of published clinical studies documented a growing interest toward the use of myo-inositol in thyroid diseases. Myo-inositol, a carbocyclic polyol, regulates the generation of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in thyrocytes, crucial for iodine organification and thyroid hormone biosynthesis. Thus, combined supplementation of iodine and myo-inositol may promote higher iodine availability in thyrocytes improving thyroid functionality. This review presents novel strategies for the diagnosis and the management of iodine deficiency, focusing on the potential role of myo-inositol combined with iodine.
Highlights
Iodine deficiency (ID) is a major health problem in many countries worldwide
Since iodine is needed to produce thyroid hormones, diminished levels can lead to hypothyroidism at any stage of life [6]
Among the World Health Organization (WHO) regions, the European general population has the highest proportion of insufficient iodine intake (56.9%) [9] (Table 1), while only 66% of school-aged children having adequate intakes in 2015 [13]
Summary
Iodine deficiency (ID) is a major health problem in many countries worldwide. Even though the salt iodization programme has been operational for decades, 1.9 billion people are estimated at risk for ID [1]. 75 of these have nationally representative surveys reporting data on UI that cover 45.7% of the schoolage children population These surveys have estimated in 2003 a global TGP incidence of 15.8%. The survey in 2003 estimated that the iodine intake in school-aged children worldwide is insufficient (UI < 100 μg/L), covering ∼285 million children (36.5%) [9] (Table 1). Among the World Health Organization (WHO) regions, the European general population has the highest proportion of insufficient iodine intake (56.9%) [9] (Table 1), while only 66% of school-aged children having adequate intakes in 2015 [13]. During pregnancy a higher iodine intake is recommended (250 μg per day) because of additional thyroid hormones required to cover both maternal and fetal needs [2].
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