For some time, pregnant women have been recommended to take folic acid during the first trimester and iodine throughout pregnancy to prevent the fetus from having malformations, deafness, cretinism or mental deficiency. In addition, if the woman breastfeeds the baby, it is recommended that she continue taking an iodine supplement so that the baby and mother are not lacking.
The problem comes when the baby stops breastfeeding, because at that time he begins to eat solid food and the amount of iodine he takes daily will depend on the intake of it, and I say problem because Spain is one of the countries in which it is considered that children have iodine deficiency and that affects, among other things, its psychomotor and intellectual development (According to the WHO, iodine deficiency is the leading cause of brain injuries in childhood).
Iodine is a mineral that has a lot to do with the formation of thyroid hormones. Having iodine deficiencies will cause inadequate formation of these hormones and, consequently, a great variety of harmful effects for children.
By commenting on some symptoms of iodine deficiency, children who are lacking can suffer from goitre, hypothyroidism, growth retardationstrabismus and intellectual deterioration. As you can see, the consequences are important enough to stop us thinking about it, especially since solving the lack is relatively easy.
Spain, a country with iodine deficiency
It is difficult to ensure that Spain is a country with iodine deficit because the available data is not as current as we would like. As you can see in the following table, the dates of the studies are from 20 to 30 years ago, although I suspect that much better we will not be at present.
The interesting thing is to look at the percentage of goitre of children (ideally there would be no more than 5% of children with goitre and it turns out that in all communities there are many more) and iodine, knowing that the ideal is that children they had an iodide between 100 and 200 μg / l.
From these studies many autonomous communities made awareness programs and tried to ensure that all families could buy iodized salt (to be in all shops), to be that salt to use at home.
My impression is that in those days children ate more fish than now, despite not having access to iodized salt in the same way as now. At present we can buy iodized salt anywhere and some studies seem to confirm that thanks to this salt the percentage of children with deficits has decreased, however today there are many children who barely take salt because there are many parents who barely use it (I hardly try it myself because it doesn't excite me too much) because high consumption is associated with childhood obesity and with cardiovascular and bone disorders.
In addition, many of the children of decades ago saw their iodine improve because of the povidone iodine, which when applied to children produces a bestial absorption of iodine through the skin. Now, precisely for that reason, it is not recommended to use it with children, with chlorhexidine being the most commonly used antiseptic.
Do we drink salt again, eat more fish?
Yes, if we want our children not to have iodine deficiencies and easily avoidable intellectual deficits we must use iodized salt in meals and encourage fish consumption on a regular basis: 2-3 times a week, to say something, plus some tuna sandwich, which children usually like.
It is also advisable to drink milk daily, since it is a good source of iodine (most children drink it, but I have the feeling that there are more and more children who do not try it, being a food that, like salt, has its detractors).
The use of salt, like everything else, in moderation does not have to be dangerous. The problem is to abuse her. With these two measures it is more than likely that our children will take the amount of iodine necessary for their hormonal system to function properly and for their psychomotor and intellectual development not to be affected.
With regard to povidone iodine, it is better forget about her. As we have commented, the amount of iodine that is absorbed through the skin is huge, excessive for a very specific moment, and that is why it is not advisable to use this antiseptic with children or pregnant women.
