Why is Iodine so important?
Globally, over 2 billion people are deprived of adequate amounts of iodine, thus running themselves the risk of Iodine Deficiency Diseases. Even though iodine is a trace element, problems do occur since it is not found readily in food.
Our bodies cannot produce iodine on their own, so we have to source the nutrient from the food we eat. Majorly, seafood and dairy products are excellent sources of iodine. However, with the rise of vegetarianism and veganism, more and more people are not getting enough just fromtheir diets, thus exposing them to a whole slew of thyroid-related complications.
The importance of iodine
Iodine is especially important for the appropriatefunctioning of our thyroid gland. Approximately 70% to 80% of the iodine in our body is used up by the thyroid glands to produce thyroid hormones.
The thyroid gland is also responsible for regulating and controlling a number of functions in our body, including the following:
• Breaking down excess fat in the body through increased metabolism.
• Maintaining average body temperatures.
• Helping young children achieve proper growth, which may get stunted if they have a deficiency of iodine in their bodies.
• Iodine helps women become more fertile, thus helping them become pregnant easily.
• Improving muscle response, preventing atrophy, boosting nerve function, and enhancing reflexes.
• Iodine improves the heart rate and corrects slow and irregular heartbeats.
Iodine for the brain
An iodine deficiency is the leading cause of the slow development of brains around the world. Our minds need to develop in a healthy manner. If newborn babies are deprived of iodine throughout their infancy, they grow up to irreversible brain damage, which lasts for their entire life and causes serious harm to their everyday life.
Iodine is thus important for us to function at our best on adaily basis.
However, its importance gets amplified for women who are pregnant or are currently breastfeeding. This is because children primarily receive their nutrition from their mothers at this time.
If the mother cannot provide adequate nutrition to their children during this period, it results in a deficiency in the offspring for the rest of their lives.
Less iodine in children during infancy results in the following:
• Below-average IQ with additional brain damage and impaired function of the brain.
• Prevalence of goiter in the later years.
• Reduced overall performance, both in terms of intellectand motor functions.
• An increased risk of attention-deficit disorders in children.
• A person deprived of adequate iodine while they were pregnant has an increased chance of undergoing miscarriages, preterm pregnancy, and stillbirth.
Iodine fortification
As iodine is not made by our bodies, people must source the product from somewhere or risk facing life-ruining health issues. Over 70 countries in the world have now started adding trace bits of iodine in the salt theymanufacture.
The average person only requires about a tablespoon of iodine in their lifetime. However, procuring this seemingly tiny amount also gets difficult. The salt generally used to make fast food or processed items do not contain iodine. It's only added to the salt sold in packets.
Seafood and dairy products are excellent sources of iodine. However, recently, plants grown in iodine-rich soils have also started hitting the markets. However, there is no guarantee that the leafy greens we purchase are actually rich in this essential nutrient.
