| There is a flood of advice from medical, | | | | communities were suffering degrees of thyroid |
| nutritional and public health authorities | | | | disease. The Recommended Dietary Allowance |
| about the changes we should be making to our | | | | [RDA] of iodine for adults is 150 micrograms |
| lifestyle in order to reduce, amongst other | | | | a day. To ensure whole populations throughout |
| health problems, our risk of high blood | | | | the world were receiving their RDA of iodine |
| pressure. High on the list of their | | | | many countries introduced very successful |
| recommendations is the one where we are | | | | public health interventions by requiring |
| advised to reduce the amount of salt we eat. | | | | iodine to be added to table salt. This does |
| It is generally recommended that our daily | | | | not affect the taste of the salt, has no |
| intake of sodium should be limited to no more | | | | deleterious side effects and adds only |
| than 2400 milligrams per day - that is | | | | marginally to the cost of salt production. |
| equivalent to about one teaspoon full - and | | | | However, in many countries, including the US, |
| that is across our whole daily food intake. | | | | only table salt has added iodine. The salt |
| However, like many dietary recommendations | | | | used in commercial food processing - and this |
| aimed at improving our health, it now appears | | | | is where we get most of our daily salt intake |
| that there could be, or in fact is, a | | | | from - usually does not contain iodine. By |
| potential downside to this practice of | | | | reducing the amount of table salt we use in |
| reducing our sodium intake - if we reduce it | | | | cooking our own food, and also reducing our |
| too much. Recent research indicates that | | | | use of the salt shaker at the table, we are |
| lowering our intake of sodium can have the | | | | reducing our iodine intake. These lower |
| very serious consequence of lowering our | | | | levels of iodine intake, according to |
| iodine consumption. Iodine is an essential | | | | research published by Stephen Cann from the |
| component in the production of the hormones | | | | University of British Columbia in 2006, are |
| manufactured by our thyroid glands. In | | | | resulting in significant increases in the |
| children, a properly functioning thyroid is | | | | levels of iodine deficiency related thyroid |
| critical to both their physical and mental | | | | problems across whole populations. He claims |
| development. In adults, the hormones from the | | | | that health surveys conducted in the US |
| thyroid gland regulate our metabolism - that | | | | during the 1970s revealed that 1 in 40 |
| process which regulates our basic cell | | | | Americans were suffering from moderate to |
| functions, one of the most important of which | | | | severe levels of iodine deficiency. But, |
| is deriving energy from the foods we eat. For | | | | alarmingly, similar surveys during the 1990s |
| many generations, thyroid disease - the under | | | | reveal that this figure has now increased to |
| functioning of the hormone production by the | | | | 1 in every 9 of the US population. This |
| thyroid glands resulting from lack of | | | | unexpected outcome is creating a dilemma for |
| adequate iodine levels - was a major health | | | | health authorities and more education |
| problem not only in the US but in other | | | | programs will be necessary to advise people |
| countries too. This relatively widespread | | | | about the need to monitor salt intake to |
| health problem, it was eventually discovered, | | | | ensure that adequate levels of iodine intake |
| was mainly due to low levels of natural | | | | are maintained. |
| iodine in the many local water supplies. In | | | | |
| areas where iodine did not occur naturally in | | | | John Vanse has a network of health related |
| soils of water catchment areas, or only | | | | sites. For more information see: The Better |
| occurred at very low levels, whole | | | | Health Guide About Your Blood Pressure. |