Specialists have warned of iodine deficiency in the body, which might cause serious health risks, such as dwarfism or delayed physical growth or mental development.
The German Federal Center for Nutrition reported that iodine deficiency in pregnant women exposes the fetus to the risk of deformities and may lead to miscarriage, knowing that newborn babies often suffer from hypothyroidism, and they have an increased risk of death as a result of this element deficiency.
As for the consequences resulting from iodine deficiency in adults, the center explained that “the deficiency causes an enlargement of the thyroid gland with or without nodes, and these adults often suffer from some thyroid disorders, which cannot be seen known as (hypothyroidism), It is accompanied, of course, by a decrease in the secretion of hormones.
In order to prevent these health risks, the center stressed the need to supply the body with abundant quantities of this element, by eating foods containing it. For this purpose, the German Center recommends eating dairy and dairy products on a daily basis, as well as marine fish such as salmon, at a rate of one to two times a week. He also recommended the use of iodized salt in food, and it is preferable to buy foods that are made using these types of salt.
Every person’s need for iodine is determined according to many factors, such as his age, for example. According to the data of the German Society for Nutrition, infants, for example, need an amount ranging between 40 and 80 micrograms per day, while the need for young people and adults increases to 200 micrograms per day.
The German Center also recommended that pregnant and breastfeeding women, in particular, should take additional amounts of iodine, ranging between 100 and 150 micrograms per day, in the form of tablets, following consulting a doctor first, in order for the woman to ensure that she and her child are protected from the risk of iodine deficiency and the health risks that follow.
It is noteworthy that iodine is among the elements that are of great importance in the completion of many important vital processes in the human body, as it is mainly involved in the formation of thyroid hormones, which have a pivotal function in controlling many metabolic processes in the body. The body also needs iodine for normal growth, bone building, intellectual development, and energy metabolism.
• Iodine is among the elements that are of great importance in the completion of many important vital processes in the body.
• 200 micrograms per day, the adult need of this element.
