Today (May 15) is the 31st National "Iodine Deficiency Prevention and Control Day", and the theme of this year's event is "Salt Iodization to Prevent Diseases, Balanced Nutrition and Health". This awareness day not only reminds us of the important role of iodine in the body, but also calls attention to the serious consequences that iodine deficiency can bring.
What is Iodine? What does it do?
Iodine is one of the essential trace elements for the human body, and is an essential trace element for metabolism and growth and development. Iodine is an indispensable raw material for the synthesis of thyroid hormones and plays an important role in maintaining the health of the body.
Source: Healthy Chengdu
Promotes growth and development
Through the synergistic effect of thyroid hormone and growth hormone, it regulates growth and development, promotes the increase of height and weight of children during development, and promotes the growth and sexual development of bones and muscles.
Involved in brain development
During the critical period of brain development (from the beginning of pregnancy to 2 years of age), the development of the nervous system depends on thyroid hormones. Iodine deficiency leads to insufficient synthesis of thyroid hormones, affecting neuronal differentiation and development, and reducing the number and volume of brain cells.
Regulates metabolism
Thyroid hormones regulate the synthesis and catabolism of proteins, fats, and sugars, maintain metabolism and maintain body temperature.
Effect on the function of other organs and systems
Thyroid hormones are hormones that maintain the basic activities of the body, and have varying degrees of influence on almost all systems of the body, such as the cardiovascular system and digestive system.
What happens if there is an iodine deficiency?
The amount of iodine in the human body is only 20 to 50 mg, but it is a health guarantee for maintaining normal thyroid function, promoting metabolic processes, maintaining normal growth and development of the body, and maintaining normal nervous system function and intellectual development. Iodine deficiency in different periods will bring different degrees of harm to the body.
During the mother's pregnancy, iodine is needed for fetal brain development, and iodine mainly comes from the mother. If the supply of iodine nutrition to pregnant women is insufficient, resulting in fetal iodine deficiency, miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and congenital malformations will occur.
Iodine deficiency in infancy and early childhood will affect the normal development of the brain, affect learning and cognitive ability, and seriously cause cretinism, hearing impairment, intellectual impairment, etc.
Source: Healthy Chengdu
Iodine deficiency in adults can lead to hypothyroidism, which causes abnormalities in mood, cognition, heart, muscle and bone, and metabolic regulation, as well as fatigue, lack of concentration, and decreased work efficiency.
What is an iodine deficiency disorder? What are the symptoms of iodine deficiency?
Iodine deficiency disease is a general term for a group of diseases manifested by iodine malnutrition in the body caused by iodine deficiency in the natural environment, which includes endemic goiter, cretinism (with dementia, short stature, deafness, muteness, and paralysis as the main clinical features) and subclinical cretinism (mental retardation as the main clinical feature), simple deaf-mute, fetal miscarriage, premature birth, stillbirth and congenital malformations.
Source: Internet
Swelling and discomfort in the neck is the most common symptom of iodine deficiency and is known as a "goiter". Some people also experience symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing, hoarseness, irritating cough, etc.
Secondly, unexplained weight gain is also another sign of iodine deficiency. If the body doesn't have enough iodine to make synthetic thyroxine, it signals the body to exercise less, eat more, store energy, and burn less. Therefore, friends who are suddenly obese must be careful and must not be careless.
In addition, fatigue, drowsiness, and inability to do anything are also common symptoms of iodine deficiency, when thyroxine levels are low, the body cannot produce enough energy as usual, which can lead to insufficient energy supply and fatigue and weakness.
How to supplement iodine in daily life?
Iodine is an essential element for the human body, which cannot be produced in the body and needs to be obtained from the external environment. The main sources of iodine for mainland residents are iodized salt, food and drinking water.
Iodine deficiency disorders can be prevented, and the easiest, safest and most effective way to prevent them is to consume iodized salt. Consumption of iodized salt is not only safe, effective and easy to promote, but also conforms to the principle of micro, long-term and daily iodine supplementation. Of course, the more iodine supplementation is not better, and the salt intake needs to be controlled in daily life, which should not exceed 5 grams per day.
Iodine is supplemented by eating seafood. Seafood is rich in iodine and can be eaten appropriately by normal people. For pregnant or lactating women, preschool and school-age children and other special needs of the population needs iodine is greater than the general population, it is recommended that the people with special needs of iodine can often eat some kelp, seaweed, marine fish, jellyfish, seaweed, etc., can be appropriately supplemented with iodized salt on the basis of not increasing iodized salt.
In addition, some people who have a high demand for iodine, such as women of childbearing age, pregnant women and lactating women, can take iodine oil pills, take iodine-containing drugs and nutrient supplements, and eat iodine-rich foods.
Long-term excessive consumption of iodine can also cause abnormal secretion of thyroid hormones, resulting in autoimmune thyroiditis, hyperiodine goiter, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, papillary thyroid carcinoma and other diseases. Therefore, iodine supplementation should be appropriate, too much or too little is inappropriate.