Iodine deficiency 'may lower UK children's IQ' (BBC News Online, 22 May 2013) (1)

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Speaking on behalf of the Society for Endocrinology Professor Jayne Franklyn (University of Birmingham, Chair of the SfE Clinical Committee), Dr Kristien Boelaert (University of Birmingham) and Dr Mark Vanderpump (Royal Free Hospital, UK International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (ICCIDD) representative) said:

“This is an exciting study providing the first clear evidence of the association of mild to moderate iodine deficiency in the UK with a small but measurable effect on neurodevelopment in childhood. It also lends support to other recent studies, such as that published in 2011 by the British Thyroid Association UK Iodine Survey Group, suggesting that around two thirds of UK women of childbearing age have iodine levels below that classified by the World Health Organisation as ‘sufficient’.

“This association should prompt further awareness of the iodine status of the UK and the potential need for iodine supplementation, either for the whole population or in the context of pregnancy and breast feeding. Whether supplementing this group with iodine might safely and effectively negate the effect suggested by this study is now a key research question of real importance to public health.”