Iodine deficiency and the link to baby IQ: tell us what you want to know!

[HelenMumsnet]

Hello. It's all over the news today that a Lancet study is suggesting that mild iodine deficiency during pregnancy could be dimming the intellect of some babies born in the UK.

We realise this might be a bit worrying to anyone who's pregnant - and we'd like to whip together a helpful content page of info and advice.

To help us make it as useful as possible, we'd love to hear from you, too. Please tell us what questions you have about all this - anything from why it's a concern to what changes you might need to make to your diet in pregnancy - and we'll make sure you get the answers on the page we build.

Oh, and just to add the obvious rider: if you do have any concerns about the amount of iodine in your diet, you should consult your GP.

[ilikemysleep]

If that report on the BBC is to be believed, we are looking at a 3 point difference in IQ for children of parents who were iodine deficient in 1st trimester. A 3 point IQ difference is really not anything to get overexcited about, it would only make any perceptible difference at the very low end - like if your child would have had an IQ of 70 and instead it's 67. Even then, it's not going to make a massive difference. The difference between an IQ of 88 or one of 85, or one of 100 and one of 97, or even (esecially)one of 120 and one of 117 is really, really not worth getting in a flap over. It looks like it's only really a massive issue if you are severely deficient in which case it case cause low IQ (as opposed to 'marginally lowered' IQ) so unless you aren't accessing any sources of iodine at all I wouldn't panic.

[bigkidsdidit]

terror we have fluoride in the water here too (well, in England, not in Scotland I don't think). And we have b vitamins in bread. So perhaps iodine will be next in the bread.

This data set is from the early 90s; were pregnancy vitamins routinely taken then?

[LeBFG]

I remember thinking about iodine during pregnancy. I can't remember why now though. I use grey sea salt which has iodine and regularly sprinkle dried seaweed (look in the health food shops) into foods for the same reason. I also vaguely thought mussles would be good for iodine and ate those too.

[Gemd81]

I did a diploma in anatomy and physiology for a reflexology qualification and learnt that a pregnant mother with an underactive thyroid if not given iodine supplements can have a baby with cretinism they discovered this and it is now routinely treated. This is where the phrase 'you cretin' comes from in the olden days.

[KatrineEM]

Seaweed is an excellent source (the best?) of iodine.

[Gemd81]

So my point is unless you have an under active thyroid don't worry it's all a nothing article - must be a slow news day!

[alienbanana]

The article says to avoid seaweed.

[blueamber]

I'd like to know what the link is - is it purely iodine deficiency that affects intelligence, or is it that iodine deficiency lowers thyroid hormone levels, which is known to affect intelligence?

[iclaudius]

Onelittletoddlererror yes it is - tastes good I'm so pleased I took my friends advice -75 pence Waitrose or Ocado

[lurcherlover]

I always used to buy Cerebros salt for the iodine, but tesco have stopped selling it and I don't live near a Waitrose...anyone found anywhere else that sells it?

[PicardyThird]

The pregnancy folic acid tablets you get here in Germany have iodine in. I've just googled the brand I was taking back when I had the dc and the website talks about iodine being important for the mother's and baby's thyroid (but nothing about IQ).

[chocolatemartini]

The pregnacare and solgar pregnancy vitamins have iodine in. Sanatogen don't.

[PipkinsPal]

There is iodine in laverbread. Loads of it available in Swansea/Gower. Unfortunately it appears that not every pregnant mother ate it

[cafecito]

surely this is linked to T3/T4 (thyroid hormone) synthesis? a vast number of people are hypothyroid anyway (and a further number are affected post partum/linked to pregnancy) - it seems just an abstract variable to add onto this underdiagnosed national health problem to further stress out pregnant mothers

[LClogs]

I've just come across this thread and it really emphasizes how eating advice changes.

My DD is nearly 14 and my DS is 11. During both pregnancies I had a craving for tinned salmon and ate one tin every day for many weeks, wonder what my body wanted? Happily there was no advice against eating oily fish at that time (that I knew about) so no guilt. My mum drank stout regularly while pregnant as it was advised as a source of iron in the 1960's. I'm fine and my children are fine despite these food sins.

I think moderation in all things, it's worrying enough being pregnant without adding anxiety.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

bigkidsdidit I'm in Hampshire and there is no fluoride in water here. There was a public health debate a while back about adding fluoride to our water. It brought out scaremongering folks with pictures of kiwis with teeth damaged by flouride. Honestly I despaired. It's not normal at all to see a kiwi with teeth like that! But it has been wheeled out like it is the norm. Interesting that other parts of England has florinated water and non of the scare press says anything about it.

[bigkidsdidit]

you're right, I'd thought it was nationwide but it turns out it is added to water only where natural levels are low.

If you google fluoride water UK you can see a map :)

[RealityQuake]

The World Health Organization has been recommending that we iodize our salt for ages, but the Department of Health has been ignoring them because "British people drink enough milk for it not to be a problem" (exact quote I received from the previous Health Secretary when this was brought up again a year or so ago). It's very frustrating that this keeps getting in the news and the easiest way to handle it, that so many other countries do, is being ignored.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

reality that's where the iodine fortified bread in NZ came from, the salt. Because people are eating less salt nowadays, the govt increased made it a requirement for bread sold to also use iodised salt.

[healthfreakanna]

Table salt only accounts for 10-15% of our salt intake, most of our salt comes from processed foods - in which the salt used is not in our control. So changing to using iodized table salt at home won't radically increase your iodine intake, just marginally.

www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/faq/readymealqanda/readymealqa06#.UZ5j94fCaSp

Iodine deficiencies occur because iodine is not evenly distributed in the earth's crust.

It appears that normal requirements (150mcg) are possible within our usual diets, however the extra requirements in pregnancy (250mcg) maybe more than a typical UK diet can provide, unless we binge on baked cod! So supplementing may be advantageous.

[lljkk]

mild iodine deficiency during pregnancy could be dimming the intellect of some babies born in the UK.

I hate this news story, feel so stuffed, there is nothing I can do about it now. Don't eat much seafood and I became lactose intolerant in all my pregnancies, although I ate a huge amount of tuna with DD (in spite of mercury warnings). I would take supplements or choke down oily fish if I knew today.

[OneLittleToddleTerror]

lljkk if you have taken pregnancy multivitamins like pregnacare, you'd be ok. I'm surprised at the figure quoted in the studies though. Is it really true half of pregnant women didn't take pregnancy vitamins in the early 90s?

[lljkk]

Mostly didn't take pregnacare, took Floradix for iron instead because it didn't upset my digestion unlike the standard iron pills. Really think specific supplements would have been the only way to go for me.

[amazingmumof6]

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