By: Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Iodine supplements may improve mental function in children with even mild deficiencies in the nutrient, a small study suggests.

Iodine is a chemical element necessary for normal growth and development of the brain and body. Because the body does not make iodine, it must be obtained from the diet — from sources like seafood, dairy products, plants grown in iodine-rich soil and iodized table salt.

Severe iodine deficiency has long been known to cause mental impairment, stunted growth and other problems in children. Such deficiency remains a major problem in parts of the world — typically where the soil is iodine-poor, people eat little seafood and uae salt that is not iodized.

But there has also been a recent re-emergence of milder iodine deficiency in certain countries, including New Zealand and Australia — thought to be due to factors like declining use of iodized salt and changes in dairy-product manufacturing that have lowered iodine levels.

Whether mild deficiency affects children's mental functioning, and whether the problem should be treated, is still in question.

To study the issue, researchers in New Zealand randomly assigned 184 mildly iodine-deficient children to take either a tablet containing 150 micrograms of iodine or a placebo pill every day for 28 weeks.

At the end of the study, children in the iodine group showed an overall improvement on two standard cognitive tests that gauge problem-solving abilities. And they outperformed children who received the placebo.

Iodine is necessary for the body to produce thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism. The traditional view was that since these hormone levels are still within normal range when a person is mildly iodine deficient, the lack of iodine may have no health effects.

The current findings, however, suggest that mild iodine deficiency "could prevent children from attaining their full intellectual potential," the researchers report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Still, it is too soon to start routinely treating children with mild deficiencies, according to Dr. Sheila A. Skeaff, a senior lecturer at the University of Otago in Dunedin and one of the researchers on the work.

"More studies should be done," she told Reuters Health in an email. "We found a small effect in children (and) we don't know if this is permanent or not."

Skeaff pointed out that there are no standard tests for mild iodine deficiency. The best solution for people who think they might be deficient is to regularly eat foods high in iodine and/or use iodized table salt.

Note:  We think it is important to point out here that just using more iodized salt is really not the healthiest alternative.  Read this article to look at one of the healthier alternatives!

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I wanted to get your feedback on iodine supplementation and this information -  http://www.health-science-spirit.com/iodine.html

Matthew,

I personally believe that as a population we are iodine deficient, as well as, being deficient in other trace minerals. As a responsible doctor, I can’t recommend a dose for you. If you consult with a knowledgeable holistic/alternative medicine practitioner, they will be more able to advise you on the best dosage for you. I don’t know if Apex Energetics in Irvine, CA has a referral list, but I would give them a try.

Most Important Note: Take that article with a grain of salt (no pun intended). Walter Last and Mark Sircus, write all about the good and make iodine seem like a panacea for everything that ails you, it isn’t. Just one example of when iodine can hurt, is a common cause of hypothyroidism called Hashimoto’s disease. If you give iodine (iodine, kelp or Synthroid) to this type of hypothyroid patient, which 95% of all doctors (ND,DC, DO & MD’s) do, because they don’t run the proper tests (TPO & Thyroglobulin antibody) to determine Hashimoto’s, the patient’s symptom will worsen. In Hashimoto’s the patients antibodies attack anything with iodine in it. That includes thyroid hormone, thyroid proteins and the thyroid itself.

Something that is so needed by a population could actually do more harm in a broad section of it. Find a doctor who you can work with as a coach, and ask for his or her guidance. I do distance consulting too. If I can ever be of assistance please look me up on my website.

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.
www.advancedhealing.com

Please email me.

Thank you,

Lisa

Answer: Lisa,

I really couldn’t say, because if it is there, it’s in extremely tiny amounts. That same question would be analogous to asking: How much iodine is in a carrot, potato, bread or an apple…. Seafood and table salt are going be your richest sources of iodine, everything else will be negligible at best.

Can I ask the reason for the inquiry?

Sincerely,

Marcus Ettinger DC, BSc.

Response: Thank you so much for your help.  You are the first person, of many I have contacted, to ask why I ask this question.

My husband, and other thyroid cancer suffers have to go on a low-iodine diet to prepare for scans and treatment with radioactivity attached to iodine molecules.  This is a way of life for them.  It involves cooking with whole foods, and fresh foods and eliminates all dairy, commericial breads, egg yolks, etc.

It would be a great help if manufacturers were as considerate as you.  Thank you for your help.

L. Payne

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Venturi S, Donati FM, Venturi A, Venturi M, Grossi L, Guidi A.
Adv Clin Path. 2000 Jan;4(1):11-7.
Servizio di Igiene, Regione Marche, 1-61016-Pennabilli, Italy. venturis@nf.infotel.it.

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