CEOAFRICA news has reported that Iodine deficiency during pregnancy may hamper the mental development of babies, according to new research published in “The Lancet”.

    Iodine is ingested mainly through dairy products and seafood and is crucial for obtaining hormones secreted by the thyroid gland – which have a direct effect on fatal brain development, the Lancet further reported.

    This was discovered from the result of data and samples taken by a team of investigators from Surrey and Bristol Universities in England. This data and samples, as gathered by CEOAFRICA news desk from The Lancet, are from Bristol-based Avon longitudinal study of parents and children (ALSPAC), commonly called ‘’Children of the 90s.’’

    The ALSPAC is a long-term health research project in which over 14,000 mothers participated during pregnancy in 1991 and 1992 – the health and development of their offspring have been tracked closely ever since.

    The researchers calculated the iodine concentration in urine samples taken in the first trimester from 1,040 pregnant women.

    After reviewing guidelines from the World Health Organisation on recommended amounts of iodine during pregnancy, they categorised women who had an iodine-to-creatinine ratio of under 150pg/g as being iodine deficient, and those with a ratio of 150pg/g or more as iodine sufficient.

    More than two-thirds of the women (65%) were categorised at less than 150pg/g. Cognitive development of the women’s babies were examined by measuring child IQ at age 8, and reading skills at age 9.

    After adjusting the findings for external factors such parental education and breast-feeding, the researchers found that the offspring of women in the iodine deficient category were much more likely to have low scores of verbal IQ, reading comprehension, and reading accuracy. Additionally, the lower the mother’s concentration of iodine, the lower the average scores for reading ability and IQ were in the kids.

    As advised by Dr Sarah Bath, a co-author and registered dietician, pregnant women and those planning a pregnancy should ensure adequate iodine intake; good dietary sources are milk, dairy products and fish, CEOAFRICA gathered from The Lancet.

    Furthermore, the current study also adjusted for the mother’s intake of omega-3 fatty acids as a possible confounder on the effects on mental dev elopement – suggesting that these effects could have had more to do with iodine concentrations than previously thought.

    Commenting on the findings, Alex Stagnaro-Green of George Washington DC, USA, said: “Absence of a public health policy in the face of clear documentation of moderate iodine deficiency and strong evidence of its deleterious effect on the neurodevelopment of children is ill advised. Nor should unmonitored and adventitious dietary iodine sources continue to be relied on. Until measures are taken to ensure that iodine needs can be met by usual dietary sources, pregnant and breastfeeding women should insist that the prenatal vitamins they are prescribed contain iodine”.

    CEOAFRICA news desk also reported according to “The Lancet” that similar study also done and published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) suggested that mild iodine deficiency can harm the baby’s neurological development. Children who do not receive adequate amounts of iodine while in the womb had lower scores of literacy tests when they were nine years old.