Endocrine Abstracts

Since the 1990’s, eight survey studies have demonstrated iodine deficiency during pregnancy across the UK and Ireland. Both countries lack an iodine fortification programme, unlike many European countries. Therefore, women must rely on dietary adjustments and supplementation to achieve the iodine intake required in pregnancy. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends an increase from 150 to 250 µg/day during pregnancy. Pregnant women in Belfast were recruited to, and provided written consent to participate in, a cows’ milk intervention study, and were asked to complete a four-day food diary following their booking clinic appointment, at around 12 weeks gestation. Of the total cohort of 119, 65 women submitted a food diary(54.6%). The online dietary analysis software Nutritics® was used. Forty-two women (64.6%) reported taking an iodine-containing multivitamin. The most popular iodine-containing supplement taken during pregnancy in this group contains a total daily dose of 140 µg of iodine in the form of potassium iodide. The range of iodine content of the supplements reported was 0 – 150 µg, with one participant taking a preparation containing no iodine and one containing 75 µg. The median daily iodine intake was 261 µg/day (IQR 121 – 289 µg/day), which is below the WHO recommended intake during pregnancy. Those taking an iodine-containing supplement had a significantly higher iodine intake compared to those not taking one (265 vs. 127 µg/day) (P<0.001) and met the recommended intake. In the absence of a fortification programme, pregnant women may benefit from improved education and information to increase their dietary intake of iodine and to consider an iodine-containing supplement. The Pregnancy Book, provided to all pregnant women in Northern Ireland at their booking appointment, has recently been updated to include a brief section on dietary sources of iodine, which is a small but important step forward.