One mineral that is important to our health is Iodine and one major area of the body it is used in is the thyroid.  The thyroid hormones are responsible for growth and development of the body to be balanced. Furthermore an adequate amount is required for the fetal brain’s neuro-development, which starts during the second half of the first trimester, wherein its thyroid starts the production of the hormones.

Sadly, majority of our population, young or old, male or female, are found to be deficient in it, with some being severe cases. However, many medical professionals are convinced that this is not true since iodised salt came to be. In reality, our iodine requirements have even gone up over time due to our being exposed to toxic halides, which contain bromine and fluoride.

Impact of iodine deficiency on the mother and the fetus

The thyroid gland produces thyroxine, and tri-iodothyronine. Both vital in brain and central nervous system development.

Hypothyroxinemia, or low maternal thyroxine, results in damages to the developing brain, further worsened by hypothyroidism in the fetus. Deficiency in iodine has many consequences in all humans. It may lead to glandular tissue disease, affecting the pancreas, thyroid, breasts, uterus, ovary, and prostate. It may even potentially lead to cancer of the affected glands, and these kinds of cancers are increasing exponentially.

But the most serious and alarming result of iodine deficiency is cretinism. Or in other words, profound mental retardation.

In order for the mother to avoid getting deficient with iodine, she ideally has to take 50% more than the normal required for an non-pregnant adult. Before taking iodine it is always a good idea to get a practitioner to take a good case history and establish that you are not at risk of taking too much. Furthermore if you need to establish how much you need, you could benefit from doing a functional test to assess your levels of iodine.