Important health info for the Aussies
Feb. 19th, 2006 03:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
krazykitkatFrom SMH:
Almost half of all Australian primary school children are mild to moderately iodine deficient, putting their mental and physical development at risk, researchers say.
When the figures are broken down into states Victoria and NSW fare even worse, while Western Australia and Queensland are the least affected.
The Australian National Iodine Nutrition Study of more than 1,700 school children from 88 schools has prompted the researchers to call for mandatory iodisation of all edible salt in Australia, in line with the United States and most European countries.
Most iodine in food comes from seafood, milk and iodised salt. ...
"It is reasonable to assume that pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are also iodine deficient, putting the next generation of children born in this country at risk of the neuropsychological consequences of iodine deficiency."
I first heard about this issue on an episode of Catalyst last year (narrated by the gorgeous Angie Milliken). In the past Australia hasn't had a problem with iodine deficiency, mainly because we were getting enough through positive contamination of our milk supply. Iodine was used to clean out/sterilise the milking equipment, but they now use chlorine instead.
There are one or two salt brands which are iodised, if you have kids, or plan to have kids, buy and use them.
ETA: the transcript for the Catalyst programme.
Cres Eastman: Cretin's an old word and it's often used to insult somebody. But the true medical meaning of the word cretinism means that you are stunted in the mind. You are grossly mentally retarded.
You can see that she's very short and that's a picture of cretinism.
Very severe cretinism you can't walk, you'd be dragging yourself around, and those children don't survive.
Narration: Two decades ago, an eminent Australian Doctor went into the mountain villages of the Tibetan Plateau. What he saw confounded him. 13% of the population were born with cretinism. ...
Narration: Tibet is the last region in China where cretinism goes unchecked. It is caused by a simple dietary disorder - a lack of iodine.
Cres Eastman: It's such a big problem in China because over two thirds of the population live in rural areas.
Many of them having to just sustain themselves through what they grow. In other words they are born, live and die within a few kilometers.
Narration: Iodine is a mineral found in soil, and absorbed through the food chain.
But in areas like Tibet, glacial conditions and altitude leach this vital nutrient from the soil.
Cres Eastman: So most of the fields, most of the earth and the water are iodine deficient. And it doesn't get in from imported foods or processed foods... So the higher you are, the more remote you are, the worse the problem is. ...
Narration: Iodine deficiency results in varying degrees of mental and physical retardation. At its most severe it causes cretinism.
Cretinism occurs in the womb, and is irreversible.
But the need for iodine doesn't end once the baby is born. The newborn brain continues developing for three years, and even mild iodine deficiency can cause a loss of IQ.
Cres Eastman: If the average IQ of Tibetan children is only 85, and that's what it was before this program started, then people with IQs of 85 can't be educated. They don't really get beyond primary school. ...
Narration: But returning to Australia, Cres isn't leaving the problem behind. Globally 2.2 billion people live in iodine-deficient areas. Alarmingly, Australia is no longer an exception.
Our iodine intake is currently half what it was five years ago. But most Australians are unaware that a problem exists.
Cres is very concerned that young Australian women are showing signs of iodine deficiency disorder, or IDD.
Iodine deficiency is most critical during pregnancy, endangering the unborn baby.
Almost half of all Australian primary school children are mild to moderately iodine deficient, putting their mental and physical development at risk, researchers say.
When the figures are broken down into states Victoria and NSW fare even worse, while Western Australia and Queensland are the least affected.
The Australian National Iodine Nutrition Study of more than 1,700 school children from 88 schools has prompted the researchers to call for mandatory iodisation of all edible salt in Australia, in line with the United States and most European countries.
Most iodine in food comes from seafood, milk and iodised salt. ...
"It is reasonable to assume that pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers are also iodine deficient, putting the next generation of children born in this country at risk of the neuropsychological consequences of iodine deficiency."
I first heard about this issue on an episode of Catalyst last year (narrated by the gorgeous Angie Milliken). In the past Australia hasn't had a problem with iodine deficiency, mainly because we were getting enough through positive contamination of our milk supply. Iodine was used to clean out/sterilise the milking equipment, but they now use chlorine instead.
There are one or two salt brands which are iodised, if you have kids, or plan to have kids, buy and use them.
ETA: the transcript for the Catalyst programme.
Cres Eastman: Cretin's an old word and it's often used to insult somebody. But the true medical meaning of the word cretinism means that you are stunted in the mind. You are grossly mentally retarded.
You can see that she's very short and that's a picture of cretinism.
Very severe cretinism you can't walk, you'd be dragging yourself around, and those children don't survive.
Narration: Two decades ago, an eminent Australian Doctor went into the mountain villages of the Tibetan Plateau. What he saw confounded him. 13% of the population were born with cretinism. ...
Narration: Tibet is the last region in China where cretinism goes unchecked. It is caused by a simple dietary disorder - a lack of iodine.
Cres Eastman: It's such a big problem in China because over two thirds of the population live in rural areas.
Many of them having to just sustain themselves through what they grow. In other words they are born, live and die within a few kilometers.
Narration: Iodine is a mineral found in soil, and absorbed through the food chain.
But in areas like Tibet, glacial conditions and altitude leach this vital nutrient from the soil.
Cres Eastman: So most of the fields, most of the earth and the water are iodine deficient. And it doesn't get in from imported foods or processed foods... So the higher you are, the more remote you are, the worse the problem is. ...
Narration: Iodine deficiency results in varying degrees of mental and physical retardation. At its most severe it causes cretinism.
Cretinism occurs in the womb, and is irreversible.
But the need for iodine doesn't end once the baby is born. The newborn brain continues developing for three years, and even mild iodine deficiency can cause a loss of IQ.
Cres Eastman: If the average IQ of Tibetan children is only 85, and that's what it was before this program started, then people with IQs of 85 can't be educated. They don't really get beyond primary school. ...
Narration: But returning to Australia, Cres isn't leaving the problem behind. Globally 2.2 billion people live in iodine-deficient areas. Alarmingly, Australia is no longer an exception.
Our iodine intake is currently half what it was five years ago. But most Australians are unaware that a problem exists.
Cres is very concerned that young Australian women are showing signs of iodine deficiency disorder, or IDD.
Iodine deficiency is most critical during pregnancy, endangering the unborn baby.
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(no subject)
Date: 2006-02-19 04:13 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-02-19 04:15 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-02-19 06:56 am (UTC)What about the U.K.'s salt, do they add iodine too? I never looked!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-02-19 01:40 pm (UTC)Maybe it's just the brand we got but it imparts a bitter taste to the cooking.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-02-19 02:28 pm (UTC)There's another article here: http://smh.com.au/news/national/children-at-risk-from-lack-of-iodine/2006/02/19/1140283949231.html
Looks like the answer could be the manufacturers using iodised salt in processed food.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-02-19 03:11 pm (UTC)