Discuss the Health Impact of Dietary Supplementation with Iodine

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The Answer is Following the pioneering research of David Marine in the early twentieth century, confirming evidence of the chemopreventive value of supplemental iodine soon became available from studies in Sweden, Switzerland, and many other nations. In the United States, iodized table salt containing 100 mg per kg of potassium iodide has been available since 1924. The United States HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_and_Drug_Administration" \o "Food and Drug Administration" Food and Drug Administration recommends 150 micrograms of iodine per day for both men and women.
Supplementing the diet with iodized salt is a simple cost-effective method of ensuring adequate iodine intake, and successful population-based programs have increased around the world with the active encouragement and support of the World Health Organization. According to recent survey data from the World Health Organization, 164 countries now have iodized salt programs, and the percent of households in the developing world that use iodized salt rose from about 20% in 1970 to 70% in 2000.
Cretinism is an anomaly that is caused by iodine deficiency in the developing fetus. This devastating condition typically manifests at birth or during infancy and is characterized by hypothyroidism, goiter, mental retardation, deaf-mutism, stunted growth, and other anomalies.
Endemic cretinism was once common in the Alpine populations of Southern Europe due to lack of iodine in their diets. Populations living in such areas without outside food sources are therefore at high risk for the development of iodine deficiency diseases.
Fortunately, the addition of iodine to table salt has virtually eliminated Cretinism in developed countries. Furthermore, early detection of thyroid insufficiency in newborns and administration of thyroxine (T₄) can often be effective in reinstating thyroid function and normal growth and development. Nevertheless, in developing nations without such programs, the lack of dietary iodine remains the leading cause of preventable mental retardation in babies and small children.

Discuss the Health Impact of Dietary Supplementation with Iodine

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