Why do table salt packets specifically say ‘iodized’? What would happen to you if it were without iodine?
March 22, 2024
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Instead of staying away from it, iodine actually is It is one of the most important nutrients required by our body. It contributes to the body’s ability to
Instead of staying away from it, iodine actually is It is one of the most important nutrients required by our body. It contributes to the body’s ability to manage energy and maintain the required temperature, as well as to ensure the full performance of the brain, heart and muscles.
What about this food? What happens to our bodies if we don’t take one? and how does this specifically affect our brains?
Iodine, a micronutrient, is one of the foods we need to continue our lives in a healthy way.
In fact, iodine is a nutrient that we must take in small quantities, but in a scenario where we do not consume it at all, it can lead to disaster. Lack of this food for example, for the synthesis of thyroid hormones It is very necessary.
Because thyroid hormones are necessary for the brain development that takes place in the fetal and early postnatal period. So the lack of this micronutrient, severe birth defects and irreversible mental retardation can cause.
According to a study conducted six years ago by UNICEF and GAIN, approximately 19 million babies born around the world suffer from iodine deficiency every year.
For this reason, insufficient iodine during pregnancy and childhood causes neurological and psychological disorders. reduces the baby’s IQ by 8 to 10 points. According to UNICEF nutrition consultant Roland Kupka, the nutrients a child consumes in the first years of life influence the development of his or her brain throughout his or her life.
Because the first moments of life, from birth to age 3, are the most critical periods for a child’s development. Iodine deficiency occurs on average in the first three years of the child; lifelong, but also protective and encouraging activities such as nutrition, play and early learning. in shaping brain development plays an important role.
In fact, iodine is rarely found in what most of us eat and drink and is usually added to table salt.
For this reason, it is very important that the salt used on the table contains iodine. In addition to table salt, this nutrient is found in very small amounts in foods such as seaweed, saltwater fish, shellfish, yogurt, eggs, milk and cheese. It is not as effective as salt.
Of course, a deficiency of iodine can cause discomfort, and too much can cause various problems. For example, excessive iodine intake, overactive thyroid and hyperthyroidism it causes.
Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include excessive sweating, trembling, weight loss and restlessness. Again, excess iodine It can cause the formation of goiter and cause various thyroid diseases. can cause.
Iodine is of course necessary for the functioning of the thyroid gland, but on the contrary: people with thyroid disease must take it in order not to have a negative impact on their disease. One should stay away from iodized salt and consume non-iodized salt.
In summary, iodine in table salt is beneficial rather than harmful, contrary to popular belief. In this case the point is to be considered This is the intake of nutrients in sufficient quantities, without overdoing it. It is especially important for women during pregnancy to maintain iodine balance for themselves and their babies.
Sources: Gain Health, Unicef, National Library of Medicine, Scientific American
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Ashley Johnson is a science writer for “Div Bracket”. With a background in the natural sciences and a passion for exploring the mysteries of the universe, she provides in-depth coverage of the latest scientific developments.