Although iodine deficiency is rare in developed countries such as Canada and the United States, it can cause serious problems especially in pregnant women. The National Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Information Clearinghouse estimates that about seven percent of pregnant women in the U.S. do not consume enough iodine. Adding iron-rich foods to your diet or supplementing with iodine can help prevent iodine deficiencies and related health complications.
Symptoms
The human body uses iodine to produce thyroid hormone, which helps regulate metabolism. Symptoms of thyroid deficiency include low thyroid production or hypothyroidism, goiter, and mental retardation in babies born to iodine-deficient mothers. Iodine deficiency can be diagnosed by a simple urine test.
Recommended Dietary Allowance
The recommended dietary allowance, or RDA, for iodine varies by age. According to the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, the iodine RDA for adult men and women is 150 mcg per day. Pregnant women require 220 mcg of iodine each day and breastfeeding women require 290 mcg per day. Iodine requirements for infants and children are slightly lower than for adults. Breastfed babies receive iodine through breast milk if the mother consumes iodine through diet or supplementation.
Supplements
Taking a multivitamin supplement containing iodine is one of the easiest ways to help prevent iodine deficiency. Not all multivitamin or prenatal vitamins contain iodine; however those that do usually provide about 150 mcg of iodine, which meets the daily iodine needs of most adults.
Iodized Salt
Iodize salt is salt fortified with iodine, and is a good source of dietary iodine. However not all salt in the U.S. is iodized, and processed foods may or may not be prepared using iodized salt. Iodine is not listed on U.S. food labels making it hard to determine iodine content in processed foods. Medline Plus reports that about half of the U.S. population regularly uses iodized table salt; however, in Canada iodine is required to be added to salt.
Iodine-Rich Foods
Seaweed, seafood, ocean fish and dairy products such as milk and yogurt contain significant amounts of dietary iodine. Grains, fruits and vegetables also provide smaller amounts of iodine; however the iodine content varies depending on the amount of iodine present in soil these foods were grown in. According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, 3 oz. of cod provides about 99 mcg of iodine and 1 cup of low-fat yogurt contains about 75 mcg of iodine.
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