Adjusting the Iodine Content of Iodized Salt to Meet the Recommended Intake for Females of Reproductive Age: A Simulation Study with a Reduced Sodium Scenario.

Background: The use of iodized salt is a key strategy to increase iodine intake worldwide. In many countries, including New Zealand, females of reproductive age are still at risk of being mildly iodine deficient.

Objective: This study aimed to determine the level of iodization of salt needed to ensure that females aged 18 to 40 y have an adequate intake of iodine in 2 scenarios: current discretionary salt intake and reduced discretionary salt intake.

A Qualitative Study of Parental Perceptions of Baby Food Pouches: A Netnographic Analysis.

Globally, a recent phenomenon in complementary feeding is the use of squeezable baby food pouches. However, some health agencies have raised concerns about their possible long-term health effects. The aim of this study was to describe parental perceptions of the use of baby food pouches during complementary feeding (i.

Food sources of iodine in schoolchildren and relationship with 24-h urinary iodine excretion in Victoria, Australia.

Dietary recalls have been used previously to identify food sources of iodine in Australian schoolchildren. Dietary assessment can provide information on the relative contributions of individual food groups which can be related to a robust objective measure of daily intake (24-h urinary iodine excretion (UIE)). In Australia, the government has mandated the use of iodised salt in breadmaking to address iodine deficiency.

Iodine status of postpartum women and their infants aged 3, 6 and 12 months: Mother and Infant Nutrition Investigation (MINI).

To alleviate the re-emergence of iodine deficiency in New Zealand, two strategies, the mandatory fortification of bread with iodised salt (2009) and a government-subsidised iodine supplement for breast-feeding women (2010), were introduced. Few studies have investigated mother and infant iodine status during the first postpartum year; this study aimed to describe iodine status of mothers and infants at 3, 6 and 12 months postpartum (3MPP, 6MPP and 12MPP, respectively). Partitioning of iodine excretion between urine and breast milk of exclusive breast-feeding (EBF) women at 3MPP was determined.

A systematic review and meta-analysis of 24-h urinary output of children and adolescents: impact on the assessment of iodine status using urinary biomarkers.

Purpose: Urinary iodine concentration (UIC (μg/ml) from spot urine samples collected from school-aged children is used to determine the iodine status of populations. Some studies further extrapolate UIC to represent daily iodine intake, based on the assumption that children pass approximately 1 L urine over 24-h, but this has never been assessed in population studies. Therefore, the present review aimed to collate and produce an estimate of the average 24-h urine volume of children and adolescents (> 1 year and < 19 years) from published studies.

Iodine-fortified toddler milk improves dietary iodine intakes and iodine status in toddlers: a randomised controlled trial.

Purpose: We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of consuming iodine-fortified toddler milk for improving dietary iodine intakes and biochemical iodine status in toddlers.

Methods: In a 20-week parallel randomised controlled trial, healthy 12-20-month-old children were assigned to: Fortified Milk [n = 45; iodine-fortified (21.1 µg iodine/100 g prepared drink) cow's milk], or Non-Fortified Milk (n = 90; non-fortified cow's milk).

Association Between Maternal Iodine Intake in Pregnancy and Childhood Neurodevelopment at Age 18 Months.

There are limited and inconsistent data suggesting that mild iodine deficiency in pregnancy might be associated with poorer developmental outcomes in children. Between 2011 and 2015, we conducted a prospective cohort study in Australia examining the relationship between maternal iodine intake in pregnancy and childhood neurodevelopment, assessed using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III), in 699 children at 18 months. Maternal iodine intake and urinary iodine concentration (UIC) were assessed at study entry (<20 weeks' gestation) and at 28 weeks' gestation.

Development of Databases on Iodine in Foods and Dietary Supplements.

Iodine is an essential micronutrient required for normal growth and neurodevelopment; thus, an adequate intake of iodine is particularly important for pregnant and lactating women, and throughout childhood. Low levels of iodine in the soil and groundwater are common in many parts of the world, often leading to diets that are low in iodine. Widespread salt iodization has eradicated severe iodine deficiency, but mild-to-moderate deficiency is still prevalent even in many developed countries.

Sleep timing is associated with diet and physical activity levels in 9-11-year-old children from Dunedin, New Zealand: the PEDALS study.

It is well documented that short sleep duration is associated with excess body weight and poor food intake in children. It has been suggested that sleep timing behaviour may also be an important predictor of weight and other related behaviours, independent of sleep duration; however, there is a lack of research investigating these relationships. The present study investigated sleep timing in association with diet and physical activity levels in 439 children aged 9-11 years old from New Zealand.

Maternal adherence with recommendations for folic acid and iodine supplements: A cross-sectional survey.

We conducted a survey of 535 New Zealand women to determine supplement use pre-pregnancy, during pregnancy and while breastfeeding to evaluate adherence with national recommendations for folic acid and iodine supplementation. Our findings suggest that despite these women being well-educated and motivated to complete an online survey, there was low adherence to recommendations for folic acid and iodine supplements. Only 38% of women reported supplement intake that met both folic acid and iodine recommendations.

Iodine Intakes of Victorian Schoolchildren Measured Using 24-h Urinary Iodine Excretion.

Mandatory fortification of bread with iodized salt was introduced in Australia in 2009, and studies using spot urine collections conducted post fortification indicate that Australian schoolchildren are now replete. However an accurate estimate of daily iodine intake utilizing 24-h urinary iodine excretion (UIE μg/day) has not been reported and compared to the estimated average requirement (EAR). This study aimed to assess daily total iodine intake and status of a sample of primary schoolchildren using 24-h urine samples.

The sensitivity and specificity of thyroglobulin concentration using repeated measures of urinary iodine excretion.

Purpose: Iodine deficiency affects 30% of populations worldwide. The amount of thyroglobulin (Tg) in blood increases in iodine deficiency and also in iodine excess. Tg is considered as a sensitive index of iodine status in groups of children and adults, but its usefulness for individuals is unknown.

Reproducibility and Relative Validity of a Short Food Frequency Questionnaire in 9-10 Year-Old Children.

The aim of this study was to assess the reproducibility and validity of a non-quantitative 28-item food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Children aged 9-10 years (n = 50) from three schools in Dunedin, New Zealand, completed the FFQ twice and a four-day estimated food diary (4DEFD) over a two-week period. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Spearman's correlation coefficients (SCC) were used to determine reproducibility and validity of the FFQ, respectively.

Iodine Supplementation of Mildly Iodine-Deficient Adults Lowers Thyroglobulin: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Context: An inverse relationship between thyroglobulin (Tg) and urinary iodine concentration (UIC) has been found in children, potentially making Tg a viable blood marker of iodine status. The application of Tg in adults is unknown.

Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the efficacy of Tg to assess iodine status in adults.

The effect of iodine supplementation in pregnancy on early childhood neurodevelopment and clinical outcomes: results of an aborted randomised placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Concern that mild iodine deficiency in pregnancy may adversely affect neurodevelopment of offspring has led to recommendations for iodine supplementation in the absence of evidence from randomised controlled trials. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the effect of iodine supplementation during pregnancy on childhood neurodevelopment. Secondary outcomes included pregnancy outcomes, maternal thyroid function and general health.

Effects of anemia at different stages of gestation on infant outcomes.

Objectives: Maternal anemia is a public health challenge worldwide. The present study aims to explore the effects of maternal anemia at different stages of gestation on postnatal growth and neurobehavioral development in infants.

Methods: A cohort of pregnant Indian women were followed from 13 to 22 wk gestation (i.

Urinary iodine concentration of New Zealand adults improves with mandatory fortification of bread with iodised salt but not to predicted levels.

Purpose: To measure the iodine status and iodine intake of New Zealand adults 18-64 years of age following mandatory fortification of bread with iodine.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of NZ adults living in Dunedin and Wellington during February-November 2012. Three hundred and one men and women aged 18-64 years randomly selected from the New Zealand Electoral Roll completed a 24-h urine collection, a demographic and iodine-specific food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and had height and weight measured.

Dietary and non-dietary factors associated with serum zinc in Indian women.

Women in low-income settings, common in India, are at risk of inadequate zinc intake due to poor diet quality and low consumption of flesh foods rich in zinc. The aims of this study were to assess the prevalence of zinc status of non-pregnant rural and tribal women living in central India and to identify dietary and non-dietary factors associated with the biochemical zinc status of these women. Rural and tribal non-pregnant women 18-30 years of age were selected using proportion to population sampling near Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.

Thyroglobulin as a biomarker of iodine deficiency: a review.

Background: Thyroglobulin, produced exclusively by the thyroid gland, has been proposed to be a more sensitive biomarker of iodine status than thyrotropin or the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine and thyroxine. However, evidence on the usefulness of thyroglobulin (Tg) to assess iodine status has not been extensively reviewed, particularly in pregnant women and adults.

Summary: An electronic literature search was conducted using the Cochrane CENTRAL, Web of Science, PubMed, and Medline to locate relevant studies on Tg as a biomarker of iodine status.

Iron status of pregnant Indian women from an area of active iron supplementation.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the iron status of pregnant tribal women from Ramtek, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India using a combination of indices.

Methods: A community-based observational study was conducted to assess iron status using a convenience sample of pregnant Indian tribal women from Ramtek. Pregnant women were recruited at 13 to 22 wk gestation (first visit; n = 211) and followed to 29 to 42 wk gestation (second visit; n = 177) of pregnancy.