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Either Kosher, Himalaya Rose or Marine salt, Canadians have a wide range of options when it comes to salts.
But what many of these do not have, or do not have much of, it is iodine. Mineral is essential for the body to make thyroid hormones, but it can be rare in many parts of the world. And researchers say it is time for Canadians to pay attention to the amount of iodine they are obtaining.
Table salt is an important source of iodine in Canada. In 1949, the Government made it a mandatory additive. While Canadians can also put their iodine eating seafood (seawater is an abundant source of iodine) and dairy products (farmers often use antiseptics based on iodine in the uders), much of the soil in Canada is poor In iodine, which means crops and crops and iodine the fruits that grow from our soils often are also.
Not having enough iodine could lead to a variety of health conditions, such as Goitres, a large swelling, generally benign of the thyroid gland, which used to be quite common in parts of Canada. It is still commonly seen in the interior countries of Asia and Africa that do not add iodine to food.
Another more serious and irreversible condition commonly caused by iodine deficiency is congenital iodine deficiency syndrome, also known as cretinism. It happens when a fetus does not have enough iodine while in the uterus, and can cause atrophied physical and mental growth.
He has become very weird in North America and the developed world. But Dr. Anna Banerji, a pediatrician from Unity Health Toront .
“It was on this high,” said Banerji, pointing to about three feet, “had the classic face of cretinism and was intellectually delayed: severe and severe intellectual deficit.”
She says that it is easy for Canadians to forget the importance of iodine because serious deficiencies such as this are very rare, thanks to public health measures, such as iodine to the salt of the table. It is still in our salt, but Canadian dietary patterns have changed, she says, which raises concerns of a return.
“We eliminate iodine deficiency, cretinism, Goitre and all that in general in many parts of the world, and we don’t see it anymore, it is out of radar,” he said.
“I think it’s a [victim] Of her own success, “said Banerji. In Canada, she says, the problem could return, since dietary habits have changed
There is no iodine in most processed foods
Iodine deficiency seems to be on the rise in North America, researchers say.
TO Study 2022 From the McMaster University in Hamilton, he found that 11.9 percent of the Canadians who monitored had a moderate to severe deficiency.
The authors, who analyzed the levels of iodine collected from 800 participants in four clinical sites throughout Canada, say that recent public health policies that require people to reduce their sodium and dairy intake may also have inadvertently reduced the intake of iodine .
Canadians are also eating Less seafood What might think: almost two kilograms less than Americans per capita in 2021, according to the United Nations data.
“Now we have a resurgence, at least mild to moderate deficiency,” says Philip Britz-Mckibbin, a professor of chemistry at McMaster University and one of the authors of the study.
Mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency may not cause visible symptoms, such as a boitre, but it still has an impact on health, says Britz-Mckibbin.
“There is historical evidence of how iodine deficiency can have consequences in terms of cognition and development,” he said.
These development delays are more crucial for young children, as well as mothers waiting, said Britz-McKibbin.
The Himalayan rock salt and marine salt could be contributing to a problem of iodine deficiency, a health problem deleted largely in the 1950s when the critical mineral to the salt of the table was added. Researchers say that pregnant women are especially vulnerable.
Some analyzes suggest an increase in IQ of approximately 15 points in the general population, as reflected in the standard military aptitude tests in parts of the US. UU. Pearce, endocrinologist in the Boston Medical Center.
That is a fairly substantial difference, says Pearce. By way of comparison, an study estimates an average loss of 14 points IQ after a lower traumatic brain injury in a car accident.
“What we are … worried, really, it would be a kind of subtle decrease in the intellectual coefficient among the population.”
Pearce says that while most Americans eat more salt than would be good for their hearts, they are not obtaining the iodine they need.
“Most of that salt is found in these commercially processed foods and prepared foods, [and] That salt is typically no yoda, “he said. In Canada, about 75 percent Food supply is packaged or processed.
“Therefore, it is actually only the salt that could be added, you know, at the table or add in the kitchen while a potential source of iodine is cooked.”
Concern for reproductive age women
Iodine deficiency among pregnant women is particularly worrying, due to how important mineral is during fetal development. But some that mothers expect in Canada do not have enough, say Quebec researchers.
TO New studywhich analyzed 500 pregnant women in that province, discovered that the problem was particularly worrying in early pregnancy, when the average level of admission of iodine fell below the level recommended in the first quarter: 136 micrograms per liter. The recommended range for pregnant women is between 150 and 249 micrograms per liter.
Many prenatal vitamins contain iodine, and most women in the study took them. But two thirds of them had begun to take them before becoming pregnant, while a third of women only started them later. That seems to have made the difference. Iodine admission levels became normal in the second and third quarter, the researchers found in the study.
Pearce says that in Canada, women of reproductive age should generally pay special attention, even if they do not plan to have a baby in the short term, because it is very likely that the population does not obtain enough iodine.
“Women of reproductive age is the population group that is less likely to add salt to their food at the table, so it may not be the best way to reach that population,” he said.
“We are perhaps seeing a resurgence of mild iodine deficiency in all areas in women of reproductive age.”
It has already happened in the United States, says Pearce, among pregnant women.
“That group in the United States, in the last 15 years it has slipped into what [the World Health Organization] It would be considered a mild iodine deficiency, “he said.
And it is still important to monitor admission levels at the population level, she says.
Vegans and vegetarians
Other groups that need to see their iodine: those with certain dietary restrictions
“Let’s say, vegetarians, maybe they could be more worried when they have an adequate iodine in their diet, especially if they abstain milk or shellfish, which are natural sources of iodine,” said Britz-McKibbin.
It is also important to take into account the factors that reduce the amount of iodine that your body can process and use. Smoking cigarettes, for example, reduces iodine absorption, he said.
Ultimately, this is a problem with an easy solution, researchers say. People just need to remember that the problem exists first.
“This will persist if you live in a part of the world where there is not enough iodine on the ground, as long as people do not pay attention to the problem.”
