The problem: about iodine deficiency

Iodine is a critical nutrient for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, which regulates growth and metabolism. Iodine deficiency is the primary cause of preventable learning disabilities and brain damage, with its most devastating impact on the brain of the developing foetus.

Children born to iodine-deficient mothers can suffer from cretinism (severe physical and mental growth retardation), speech defects, deafness and dwarfism. Iodine deficiency also increases the chance of maternal death, miscarriage and stillbirth. Goiter, characterized by a swelling at the front of the neck, is a common symptom of chronic iodine deficiency. From the Latin “guttur” or throat, goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland, which swells in an effort to extract the little iodine that is in the blood.

The least visible, but perhaps most pervasive, consequence of iodine deficiency is the loss of intellectual potential – children may lose between 10 and 15 intelligence quotient (IQ) points. Populations more likely to suffer from iodine deficiencies include those living in remote mountainous regions lacking common food sources of iodine such as sea fish or seaweed, and those in areas of frequent flooding where micronutrients are washed from the soil.

The solution: fortifying salt

One teaspoon of iodine - consumed in tiny amounts on a regular basis over a lifetime –  is sufficient to prevent the conditions known collectively as iodine deficiency disorders (IDD). Salt iodization is the most logical and effective solution to IDD because it is consumed gradually, and is safe, sustainable and inexpensive (US five cents per person annually). The process has been used for decades in the western world – first in 1922 by the Swiss. However, as late as 1990, less than 20 per cent of households in the developing world consumed iodized salt, putting 40 million children at risk of learning disabilities.

Today the number of households in the developing world consuming iodized salt has risen to 70 per cent and nearly 91 million children a year are being protected against severe mental impairment.  In terms of treatment, some disorders such as cretinism are irreversible. However, iodine – in the form of iodized salt or iodized oil – can be used to treat some milder effects of IDD.

Goal

Achieve the sustainable elimination of iodine deficiency disorders by 2005.

How will this be achieved?

A diverse group of public and private sector organizations are working together to eliminate IDD through universal salt iodization . Partners include UNICEF, the World Health Organization, governments, the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders , the Micronutrient Initiative, Kiwanis International, salt producers, school teachers’ unions and others.