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Iodine deficiency, excessive iodine intake prevalent in children in Brazil
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The presence of iodine deficiency in school-aged children may be, in part, due to socioeconomic factors and lack of education about the nutritional importance of iodine, according to study findings.
In the cross-sectional study, Helton E. Ramos, MD, PhD, of the department of bioregulation at the Federal University of Bahia in Brazil, and colleagues evaluated data from 1,419 children (mean age, 11 years) from 17 schools (70.6% urban; 29.4% rural) in Bahia to assess iodine nutritional status, household food security, socioeconomic and demographic characteristics.
Blood spots on filter paper were used to measure anthropometric parameters, urinary iodine concentrations and thyroid-stimulating hormone measurements. Participants were recruited between October 2013 and September 2014.
Overall, the iodine intake was sufficient across the studied population with total average urinary iodine concentration of 206.4 µg/L. Twelve percent of participants had low urinary iodine concentration with 6.2% having mild iodine deficiency (< 100 µg/L), 3% with moderate iodine deficiency (20-49 µg/L) and 3.1% with severe iodine deficiency (< 20 µg/L). Nine percent of participants had excessive iodine intake (> 300 µg/L). Urban areas had an average urinary iodine concentration of 213.1 µg/L compared with 176.8 µg/L in rural areas. The mean TSH level was 1.01 mU/L.
Seventy-two percent of participants had normal body weight, followed by 15% with overweight, 6.2% with obesity, 4% with low weight, 2.1% with severe obesity and 0.7% with markedly low weight.
There was a protective effect against excessive iodine intake in children with overweight or obesity (OR = 0.64; 95% CI, 0.4-1) and those who used industrial seasoning (OR = 0.65; 95% CI, 0.4-0.9). Participants living in a household with more than six people (OR = 1.62; 95% CI, 0.9-2.6) and those who consumed water from shallow wells (OR = 1.7; 95% CI, 0.9-3.1) had an increased risk for excessive iodine intake. The risk for iodine deficiency disorders was increased among participants with moderate (OR = 1.7; 95% CI, 0.9-2.9) and severe (OR = 1.69; 95% CI, 0.9-3) food insecurity.
“We found that overall [urinary iodine concentration] levels in the Bahia region have improved,” the researchers wrote. “Nutritional habits and TSH levels were not associated with [urinary iodine concentration] levels in our population. National programs to reduce [iodine] deficiency should target educating individuals in Brazil from the lowest socioeconomic strata independently of the nutritional iodine status of the overall region in which they reside.” – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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