As early as 2016, the National Council for Nutrition sounded the alarm about low iodine intake in the population. Norwegian women of childbearing age worry researchers the most. Consequences of even mild to moderate iodine deficiency in the mother have in studies been associated with negative effects on cognitive development, language development and motor development in the child. This is shown, among other things, by the large Norwegian mother and child survey (MoBa) from 2017. Moderate iodine deficiency has also been seen in connection with the loss of IQ points and ADHD symptoms. FERTILE WOMEN: It is important to have an adequate iodine status before becoming pregnant. Therefore, researchers are concerned that women of childbearing age have too little iodine. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB scanpix 69 percent of Norwegian mothers had an iodine intake that was lower than recommended, according to the MoBa survey. As many as eight out of ten pregnant women eat too little food with iodine, according to a study from the Oslo Met from 2018. And there is no indication that iodine status is on the road to recovery. On the contrary. Affecting the brain WHO considers severe iodine deficiency to be the leading cause of brain damage globally. In recent years, more research has been done on what mild to moderate iodine deficiency can lead to. Around Europe, one by one researchers have sounded the alarm. “More than half of all newborns in Europe risk not reaching their full potential,” the Krakow Declaration stated. STRUMA: Severe iodine deficiency causes the thyroid gland to swell up on the neck to overcompensate. The condition is called goiter and was relatively common inland before the 1950s. Photo: Martin Finborud / Wikipedia – In all studies, it is found that young women and pregnant women have too little iodine intake, says senior researcher Lisbeth Dahl at the Institute of Marine Research. She is Norway’s national contact in the Iodine Global Network. – All researchers who work with this are concerned about a too low iodine intake. – If we get a whole generation where the cognitive has been affected in the child, if only a little. Is there anything you are worried about? – Yes, especially if it turns out that this is important for IQ score, and that it is reduced, she says and adds: – At the individual level, if you have 98 or 100 in IQ score, it does not mean much for a person. But in an entire population, it has a greater impact. Iodine is also an essential element for many animal species. When iodine was added to the cows’ concentrates in the early 1950s, it was seen that animal welfare increased considerably. The number of abortions dropped drastically. A positive side effect of the cows getting iodine was that the mineral was added to the milk. At that time, Norway was a milk-drinking nation. DRINKING HABITS: More and more Norwegians are cutting out milk. This is especially true for women. Iodine is added to some plant milk on the market. But this is not a common practice for so long. Graphics: Egil Ursin Since then, the discussion about iodine has largely been dormant. During the last 70 years, however, the dairy habits of Norwegians have changed. Low level of knowledge Knowledge of iodine in Norway is still low among pregnant women and parents of young children. A national survey conducted by Norstat in April 2022, on behalf of the Information Office for Dairy Products, showed that only 54 percent know that iodine is an important mineral for mother and child. DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS: It is currently unclear whether it is positive for the fetus’ development to start with dietary supplements during pregnancy in areas with mild to moderate iodine deficiency. Several studies show that it may be too late. Photo: gpointstudio / Getty Images / iStockphoto Only 36 percent had received information about iodine via a GP, midwife or health nurse. A number of studies show that it is just as important to have an adequate supply of iodine before you become pregnant, and that it may be too late to start taking supplements when you know you are pregnant. – Therefore, it is important that women of childbearing age get sufficient iodine, says Dahl. Should I take iodine supplements? The Norwegian Directorate of Health recommends that those who receive too little iodine should take dietary supplements with iodine. Below are excerpts from the advice to the Norwegian Directorate of Health: Women of childbearing age: Women who drink less than 3 dl milk / yoghurt daily and regularly eat white saltwater fish (cod, saithe, haddock and others), a daily iodine supplement (100 /g / day) is recommended. Women who drink less than 5 dl milk / yoghurt daily, but eat little or no white saltwater fish (cod, saithe, haddock and others), are recommended to take iodine supplements daily (100 /g / day). The Norwegian Directorate of Health also emphasizes that it is an advantage to have good iodine status before becoming pregnant. Pregnant and lactating women: Women who drink less than 6 dl milk / yoghurt daily and regularly eat white saltwater fish, a daily iodine supplement (150 /g / day) is recommended. 6 dl milk corresponds to about 3 glasses. Women who drink less than 8 dl milk / yoghurt daily, but eat little or no white saltwater fish, are recommended a daily iodine supplement (150 /g / day). 8 dl milk corresponds to about 4 glasses. Allergy sufferers, vegetarians and others: Anyone who leaves out or drinks less than 3-5 dl milk / yoghurt (depending on fish intake), is recommended a daily iodine supplement of 100-150 micrograms per day. Is not enough in salt Today, only Norway and a few other countries in the world have only milk and fish as good iodine sources in the diet, according to a literature review published by the Norwegian Medical Association in 2019. WHO recommends iodination of salt as a strategy to ensure that the population gets enough. In Norway, we have added so little iodine to the salt that it is almost insignificant. In fact, we are the country in Europe that adds the least iodine to the salt, according to a WHO report. In addition, it is not mandatory, and there are therefore few salt brands that have iodine. 5 mg of iodine / kg have been added to the Norwegian salt. One gram of salt covers 3 percent of the daily requirement. In comparison, 50 mg of iodine / kg has been added in Sweden. Ten times as much. Albania has added as much as 75 mg of iodine / kg, and is the country in Europe that has the most. Due to the poor iodine status in Norway, the National Council for Nutrition has recommended that the Health Authorities enrich the salt in Norway. The authorities are considering measures – Why is there so little added iodine in the table salt that it has no practical significance? – In Norway, milk and dairy products, as well as white fish, have traditionally been the good sources of iodine. Norwegian regulations do not allow the addition of more iodine to table salt (also called household salt) than is the case today. Linda Granlund, division director in the Norwegian Directorate of Health, writes in an e-mail to news. She states that the health authorities are now looking at the regulations. – However, there are many in Norway today who do not eat enough milk and white fish to get enough iodine. The health authorities are therefore now looking at the possibility of changing the regulations so that iodine can be added to table salt in line with recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO). Too much iodine is also associated with health risks in the population. * In the work on this article, news has spoken to several researchers and government agencies. In addition to that we have dived into several research articles. You can read more about some of them in the fact box below:
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Iodine deficiency in pregnant women can lead to lower IQ in children – news Nordland
