Iodine 2

Question 1

What was the cohort study done to find consequences of IDD?

Answer 1

Grouped children from mothers at pregnancy by their urine iodine concentration, there was an increase in total IQ of their children, dose response - as you go from low, to high you see an increase
Wide confidence intervals - often the low group overlaps with middle but not the high group

Question 2

What are 3 strategies that can be used to increase dietary intakes of nutrients?

Answer 2

3 strategies to increase dietary intakes of a micronutrition are fortification, supplementation and dietary diversification

Question 3

What is fortification?

Answer 3

Fortification is where you top up or add something lost in processing, increasing level of micronutrient in food (e.g. iodine in salt). Good strategy if you fortify a staple food (a food that everyone consumes) as everyone will increase their intakes for the particular micronutrient being added

Question 4

What are supplements?

Answer 4

Supplementation is where you take a supplement - effective for specific target groups e.g. pregnant and breastfeeding women, to improve iodine intake ask them to take a supplement to increase iodine uptakes. Problem is being have to be compliant/remember to take them

Question 5

What is dietary diversification?

Answer 5

Dietary diversification is where you make sure you have a diverse diet - in NZ we have diverse diets however in other countries they may have a very narrow diet e.g. in India they consume lots of rice. Works in parts of the world where people have narrow diets

Question 6

What can we do to increase iodine intakes in NZ?

Answer 6

Dietary diversification: already a diverse diet and changing behaviour of people is difficult
Fortification: mandatory use of iodised salt in bread making, change to Aus/NZ food standards code
Supplementation: pregnant and lactating women recommended to take 150 microgram/day tablet subsidised by Pharmac

Question 7

What happens if you don’t eat enough iodine, how can we improve this?

Answer 7

If you don’t eat bread you are more likely to develop an iodine deficiency - higher risk
If you fortify other foods you can get more iodine from foods other than bread and salt, lower amount of iodine in salt to ensure that we are not consuming too much iodine

Question 8

What is iodine toxicity?

Answer 8

Thyrotoxicosis - in thyroid gland autonomous nodules begin to stop responding to the normal feedback mechanism resulting in excess thyroid hormone which causes hyperactivity which increases basal metabolic rate