Iodine deficiency
RDI
Overdosing
Conception, pregnancy and breastfeeding
Food sources
Iodine is an essential trace mineral often referred to as iodide. Iodine is vital for the thyroid hormones that regulate our metabolism, body temperature, reproduction, growth, blood cell production, nerve and muscle function. A chronic lack of iodine can enlarge the thyroid gland in the throat (known as a goitre) creating low thyroid hormones (hypothyroidism), causing a person to become sluggish and gain weight, affecting their general health, fertility and for women the ability to carry a pregnancy.
Iodine deficiency. It is now recognised that in the last 10 to 15 years many people in Australia and New Zealand have become iodine deficient. This is because we eat less salt and even most of the salt we do eat in home-cooked and processed foods, no longer contains added iodine. Our soils (particularly on the south-east coast of Australia and in Tasmania) have become low in iodine creating lower concentrations in our food products. Also changes in the dairy industry whereby chlorine-based compounds are now used instead of iodine sanitisers (iodophores) to clean milk vats have meant there is less iodine in our milk products.
Mild iodine deficiency
Moderate iodine deficiency
Prolonged iodine deficiency
Mild iodine deficiency during pregnancy and early childhood years can result in slower reaction times for young children and a small reduction in mental performance which is irreversible if deficiency occurs before the age of 2 to 3 years.
Moderate iodine deficiency can lead to impaired visual and verbal information processing and fine motor control in children, reducing their ability to concentrate, lowering learning capacity and reducing intelligence quotient (IQ). It may also result in hearing impairment and increased risk of attention deficit (ADD) and hyperactivity disorders. This cannot be reversed by an adequate supply of iodine later in life.