Doctors Concerned about Return of Iodine Deficiency

01A century ago, iodine deficiency affected children across much of the United States.

02The problem mostly disappeared during the 1900s after iodine was added to common foods.

03But doctors are now seeing higher iodine deficiency rates.

04The rises are blamed on dietary changes and new food manufacturing methods.

05Iodine is an element found in seawater and in some soils, mostly in coastal areas.

06A French chemist accidentally discovered the substance in 1811.

07Iodine's name comes from a Greek word meaning violet-colored.

08Later in the 1800s, scientists began to understand that people need iodine to control their metabolism and stay healthy.

09The element is also important for a child's brain development.

10One sign of iodine deficiency is an increase in size, or swelling, of the neck.

11This growth in the neck is known as a goiter.

12It can appear when the thyroid gland grows to make up for too little iodine to produce hormones that control certain body processes.

13In the early 1900s, goiters were commonly seen in children in some parts of the United States.

14Some of the children showed other symptoms in addition to goiters.

15These included being smaller or experiencing deafness.

16In the past, public health experts realized they could not solve the iodine deficiency problem by feeding everyone seaweed and seafood.

17But they learned iodine can be included with table salt.

18This form of salt, known as iodized salt, first became available in 1924.

19By the 1950s, more than 70% of U.S.

20households used iodized table salt.

21Bread and some other foods also had iodine.

22As a result, iodine deficiency in the U.S.

23became rare.

24But diets have changed over the years.

25Processed foods now make up a large part of the American diet.

26Although these foods contain a lot of salt, it is not iodized.

27Leading bread makers also no longer add iodine.

28And for people who do salt their food, it is popular now to use kosher salt, Himalayan rock salt, or other products that do not contain iodine.

29People have forgotten why there's iodine in salt, said Dr.

30Elizabeth Pierce of Boston Medical Center.

31She is a leader in the Iodine Global Network, a non-governmental agency working to end conditions linked to iodine deficiency.

32Pierce noted there had been a reported 50% drop in U.S.

33iodine levels studied during the 1970s through the 1990s.

34While most Americans are getting enough iodine through diet, doctors worry this is not the case for women and children, the two groups most likely to be hurt by iodine deficiency.

35The American Academy of Pediatrics and other medical groups advise that all pregnant and breastfeeding women get 150 micrograms of iodine each day.

36In the last 15 years or so, U.S.

37researchers have increasingly reported seeing mild iodine deficiency in pregnant women.

38A Michigan State University study of about 460 pregnant women found about 25% of them were not getting enough.

39That study's lead writer, Gene Kerver, noted that many vitamins for pregnant women do not contain iodine.

40As a result, doctors suggest that pregnant or breastfeeding women check labels to make sure the vitamins or supplements they take have iodine.

41Some studies have linked even mild iodine deficiency to a lower score on an intelligence test known as an intelligence quotient, IQ, test.

42But experts say there has not yet been enough research to establish exactly how the U.S.

43population is being affected by iodine deficiency.

44Dr.

45Monica Serrano-Gonzalez, of Brown University, said she and other doctors had seen five cases of iodine deficiency in children visiting a local health center in Providence, Rhode Island.

46We're concerned this may be increasing, especially in patients with restricted diets.

47Serrano-Gonzalez called for increasing publicity about the problem in order to prevent it from getting worse.

48She said, This needs to be on people's radar.

49I'm John Russell.