What are the safe levels of iodine for pregnant women and general health?

Pediatrician from Hyderabad Dr Sivaranjini Santosh said that an appropriate amount of iodine is extremely important for the normal functioning of the human body.

Hyderabad: What are the safe iodine intake levels for an average individual or pregnant woman? Does consuming iodized salt cause thyroid problems, especially among women? With the market getting flooded with pink salt, are they more beneficial for pregnant women?

Noted developmental pediatrician from Hyderabad Dr Sivaranjini Santosh on Friday said that an appropriate amount of iodine is extremely important for the normal functioning of the human body.

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“Anything in excess is bad for the body. Consuming 6 to 10 times more than the recommended intake of iodine, taking separate iodine supplements, and eating too much salt will definitely create health problems. However, an appropriate amount of iodine is absolutely essential for everybody, especially pregnant women,” Dr Sivaranjini Santosh said.

The daily requirement of iodine in the diet varies from 90 micrograms per day to 200 micrograms per day based on age and pregnancy status. Iodine is extremely important for the normal functioning of the thyroid gland. Low thyroid hormone levels (hypothyroidism) cause serious health problems.

Iodine is also abundant in certain food products such as fish, dairy, and eggs, prunes, potatoes etc. Taking an appropriate amount of salt is also important for the normal functioning of the thyroid glands, the noted pediatrician added.

“Thyroid hormones are very important for the growth of the fetus in terms of brain development, as well as physical growth. Only if the iodine intake is 6 to 10 times the recommended intake, then it may cause problems with thyroid functioning. Now, most iodized salts have 15 micrograms of iodine per gram of salt. The daily maximum recommended salt intake is 2.3 grams per day for an adult. So, even if we consume double the recommended intake, we will still be getting only 75 micrograms of iodine from the iodized salt,” Dr Sivaranjini said.

The pediatrician made it clear that trace amounts of minerals, which are claimed to be present in pink salt, do not add great value to the average person’s diet. “These salts are sold at a price 3 to 5 times the price of the normal iodized salts. Make an informed choice based on this information,” she said.