Iodine lacking for pregnant and breastfeeding women

​Many pregnant and breastfeeding women in the U.S. may be lacking iodine in their diets, which is an essential element for their babies’ brain development, according to a new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Most of the salt in the U.S. diet is from processed foods, and that salt is not iodized. As consumption of processed foods has increased, so has the level of iodine deficiency, with about one-third of pregnant women in the U.S. being deficient. Pregnant and lactating women should take supplements that contain adequate levels of iodine, but only about 15 percent of this group does so.

Adequate iodine intake is needed to produce thyroid hormone, which is critical for brain development in children. Severe, untreated hypothyroidism in infancy has serious, permanent effects on the brain, and milder cases of hypothyroidism can also affect a child’s cognitive development. In addition, iodine deficiency in a mother increases both mother and child’s vulnerability to the effects of certain environmental pollutants -- most notably thiocyanate (found in cruciferous vegetables and tobacco smoke) and nitrate (found in certain leafy and root vegetables).

The AAP recommends iodine supplementation for breastfeeding mothers and should be considered for some other women of childbearing age.