Iodine

Iodine is an essential trace element required for thyroid hormone (T3 and T4) synthesis; severe deficiency causes cretinism and goiter, and adequate intake during pregnancy and early childhood is critical for normal neurodevelopment.

thyroidcognitivepregnancyhormonalessential-mineral

Dosing model

FLATFixed dose (no body-weight scaling).

Min dose

0 mg

Max dose

0 mg

Rounding

0 mg

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Evidence

2 records

Thyroid function and child neurodevelopment in mildly deficient pregnancy

Pregnant women with mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency • systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs

Low

A systematic review of 10 RCTs and 23 observational studies found inconsistent effects of iodine supplementation on maternal or infant TSH and no significant improvement in childhood cognitive, language, or motor scores; authors concluded evidence is insufficient to support universal supplementation in mild-to-moderate deficiency regions but supplementation remains important in severe deficiency.

Dose: 0 mg • Duration: pregnancy duration

Citation: Dineva M, Fishpool H, Rayman MP, Mendis J, Bath SC. Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of iodine supplementation on thyroid function and child neurodevelopment in mildly-to-moderately iodine-deficient pregnant women. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;112(2):389-412.

Dose in mg (150 mcg = 0.15 mg). WHO recommends 250 mcg/day during pregnancy. Benefits are most clear in severely iodine-deficient populations.

Child development outcomes (cretinism prevention, motor/cognitive) in relation to prenatal iodine

Pregnant women and their offspring across iodine-status populations • systematic review of RCTs

Low

Systematic review of 8 RCTs found that in areas of severe iodine deficiency, supplementation reduced cretinism risk and showed some motor development benefits; in mild-to-moderate deficiency areas, no RCTs provided data on childhood cognitive or developmental outcomes; effects on maternal thyroid function were inconsistent.

Dose: 0 mg • Duration: during pregnancy

Citation: Zhou SJ, Anderson AJ, Gibson RA, Makrides M. Effect of iodine supplementation in pregnancy on child development and other clinical outcomes: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;98(5):1241-54.

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