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