The Importance
of Being Iodine Sufficient |
Delayed neurobehavioral performance was observed in 36% of children in Group 3, and 25% of children in Group 2, and none in Group 1.
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The above slide accompanies
the study, "Delayed Neurobehavioral Development in Children Born
to Pregnant Women with Mild Hypothyroxinemia During the First Month of
Gestation: The Importance of Early Iodine Supplementation". The
downloadable PDF is available here.
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Iodine and Children * Iodine deficiency in children and adolescents is often associated with goiter. The incidence of goiter peaks in adolescence and is more common in girls. School children in iodine-deficient areas show poorer school performance, lower IQs, and a higher incidence of learning disabilities than matched groups from iodine-sufficient areas. A meta-analysis of 18 studies concluded that iodine deficiency alone lowered mean IQ scores in children by 13.5 points. In-other-words, having full iodine sufficiency has been shown to increase IQ by up to 13.5 points. * Drinking fluoridated water consumed by women yields children with lower IQs, why? Fluoride competes with iodide. * Lower IQ of 12-13.5 points are seen in iodine deficient populations, whereas iodine supplementation before or during early pregnancy generally increases developmental scores in young children by 10-20%. * The IQ of a child is set between age 2-3. Therefore, it is essential to keep giving nursing mothers iodine until the child is weaned.
How
adding iodine to salt made America smarter
A new study indicates that Americans gained up to 15 IQ points after the addition of iodine to salt became mandatory. In an effort to prevent goiter related to iodine deficiency, authorities ruled that iodine be added to U.S. salt products in 1924. The iodine, in addition
to eliminating goiter, appears to have had an unexpected result: smarter
Americans. To do this, they
looked to standardized IQ tests that each recruit took as a part of the
enlistment process. Next, the economists worked out likely iodine levels in different cities and towns around America using statistics gathered after World War I on the occurrence of goiter. Matching the recruits with their hometowns showed researchers that the men from low-iodine areas made a huge leap in IQ after the introduction of iodine. The men born in low-iodine areas after 1924 were much more likely to get into the Air Force and had an average IQ that was 15 points above that of their slightly older comrades. This averages out to a 3.5 point rise in IQ levels across the nation. The World Health Organization backed up these results saying: 'For iodine-deficient communities, between 10 and 15 IQ points may be lost when compared to similar but non-iodine-deficient populations.' Iodine comes from food sources, and is found in seafood and foods grown in coastal areas with high levels of iodine in the soil. Mountainous and inland areas are often very low in the nutrient, meaning food grown there doesn't have enough iodine. Today, iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable mental retardation in the world. The condition, known as cretinism, was also common in the U.S. until the introduction of iodized salt. [And since Americans have reduced or eliminated iodized table salt, sub-clinical and clinical hypothyroidism is on the rise, and so are stupid movies, TV shows, and commercials, and antisocial behavior... coincidence? Don] Originally, U.S. authorities wanted to reduce the incidence of goiter, but research since that time has shown that iodine plays an important role in brain development, especially during gestation. The World Health Organization estimates that two billion people worldwide are at risk of iodine deficiency. And it's not just a Third World problem the WHO reports that only 27 per cent of households in Europe have access to iodized salt. The researchers say that iodine may also be a cause of the so-called Flynn Effect, the steady rise in IQ that's been ongoing since the 1930s. But the Flynn Effect works both ways, and now, since people in the U.S. have been avoiding table salt, which was the way iodine became part of our diet, IQs will be dropping, and cognition will be negatively affected. See How Adding Iodine to Salt Made America Smarter.
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More iodine info at health101.org/iodine