The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a new policy statement that highlights the important role iodine plays in the brain development of infants.
 
According to the report“Iodine Deficiency, Pollutant Chemicals, and the Thyroid: New Information on an Old Problem,” many women in the U.S. are marginally iodine deficient, perhaps because salt in processed food is not iodized. Lacking sufficient iodine during gestation or while lactating can interfere with the normal brain development of the mothers’ offspring.
 
The statement also noted that iodine deficiency “increases vulnerability to the effects of certain environmental pollutants, such as nitrate, thiocyanate, and perchlorate.”
 
While it is recommended that pregnant and lactating women take a prenatal supplement containing iodide, only about 15% do. It was also noted that some supplements may not include any or adequate levels of iodide, or may be mislabeled.
 
The AAP report stated, “The American Thyroid Association recommends that pregnant and lactating women take a supplement with adequate iodide. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pregnant and lactating women also avoid exposure to excess nitrate, which would usually occur from contaminated well water, and thiocyanate, which is in cigarette smoke. Perchlorate is currently a candidate for regulation as a water pollutant.”
 
Recommendations from the AAP urged the Environmental Protection Agency to address issues regarding contamination exposure, and requested intervention from the Food and Drug Administration to regulate mislabeling of the iodine content in prenatal and lactation supplements.
 
Responding to AAP’s review, Duffy MacKay, N.D., senior vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), commented, “We are encouraged by the new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics that both recognizes the vital role of iodine in the development of a baby’s nervous system, and recommends that pregnant and lactating women take a supplement containing iodide, a form of iodine easily absorbed by the body, to garner those benefits. CRN urges vitamin and supplement manufacturers to review and consider the specific recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics with regard to dose and iodine form, and our association will be taking these recommendations under advisement to discuss with our member companies.”
 
Dr. MacKay also likened the new recommendations for iodine use to the important role folic acid plays in childhood development during pregnancy. “Several decades ago, when folic acid was found to play a critical role in reducing neural tube birth defects, like spina bifida, the scientific research and public policy communities, non-profit groups like the March of Dimes, and industry partnered with government to firmly establish and communicate recommendations for folic acid that resulted in significant reductions in neural tube birth defects. Those recommendations include the suggestion that women of childbearing age take a multivitamin with 400 micrograms of folic acid daily. We see similarities between the folic acid story and what is now happening with iodine, and hope that the same groundswell will develop for educating women of childbearing age of the critical importance of iodine in helping ensure optimal cognitive development in babies.”