TWO out of three women of child-bearing age are not getting
enough of the vital mineral iodine needed for a baby's healthy brain
development, Australian research shows.
Deficiency rates were lower among children, with ten per cent of toddlers not getting enough iodine, but they were significantly higher among women aged 19 to 49.
"Insufficient iodine intake, particularly in groups such as pregnant women, babies, and young children, is of great concern,'' said Parliamentary Secretary for Health and Ageing Senator Jan McLucas, who released the results.
Senator McLucas said the findings confirmed the necessity for the
mandatory addition of iodine to bread in Australia, which would reduce
the incidence of inadequate iodine intake to 5 per cent.
Mild to moderate iodine deficiency can result in children having
learning difficulties and can affect the development of motor skills
and hearing. In extreme cases, children can be born with severe
intellectual disability.
A government food scientist, Paul Brent, said "While salt
iodisation might produce a slightly better coverage for adults, salty
diets were not good for the health and analyses had shown using salt
could end up delivering risky levels of iodine to children."
The Australian Total Diet Study tested levels of the trace elements
selenium, chromium, molybdenum, nickel and iodine in 96 types of food.
It was necessary to strike a balance. "Bread is eaten by enough people to have a real effect," said Dr Brent, the chief scientist at Food Standards Australia New Zealand.
Ask, answer questions or add more facts concerning "Iodine to be added to Bread in Australia" below. Comments are sent for approval so please bookmark this page so you can check for replies and answers to your questions.
Ask, answer questions or add more facts concerning "Iodine to be added to Bread in Australia" below.
It will be interesting to see future statistics as to whether adding iodine to bread made a difference.