IODINE
WHAT’S IN YOUR
SUPPLEMENT?
ADAPTED FROM THE OREGON WIC PROGRAM
Goals & Objectives
 Goals:
 Increase knowledge of WIC staff regarding the importance of
iodine supplementation for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
 WIC staff can assign Risk 427D correctly and discuss iodine
supplementation with participants.
 Objectives:
Upon completion of this in-service, staff will be able to:
 Explain the reasons for iodine supplementation for pregnant and
breastfeeding women.
 Demonstrate their knowledge of iodine supplementation by
reading nutrition labels and identifying iodine-containing prenatal
vitamins.
Iodine: What do you know about it?
• Essential trace mineral
• Helps with thyroid function
• Prevents goiter in women
• Prevents certain birth defects in infant, including:
• Mental retardation
• Speech and hearing deficits
• Motor skill impairments
• ADHD
Where is it?
• Table salt – iodized since the 1920’s
• Seafood and seaweed
• Naturally found in soil
• Small amounts found in:
• Grains
• Dairy
• Meat
Iodine and Public Health
• Added to salt in the 1920’s
• Among first foods fortified to prevent a common health
issue (goiter)
• Later found iodine prevented certain birth defects
(cretinism)
Why are we worried about iodine?
What can happen if you don’t get
enough?
• Deficiency is rare in U.S.
• Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDDs)
• Increased number of miscarriages,
stillbirths, and birth defects
• Depends on developmental
stage and severity of deficiency
How much do we need?
• Adults & adolescents:
150 micrograms /day
(Micrograms is
abbreviated mcg or µg)
• Pregnant or
Breastfeeding Women:
250-500 mcg/day
Pregnancy & breastfeeding
• Increased need during pregnancy and
breastfeeding because mothers are the
sole source of iodine for their babies
How much iodine is in salt?
• One teaspoon of iodized salt contains 400 mcg of iodine
• Americans get lots of sodium, primarily from processed
foods, not iodized salt.
• Don’t encourage moms to eat more salt, rather encourage
them to consider buying iodized salt when they shop.
Recommendations for Iodine
• The American Thyroid Association recommends that
pregnant and breastfeeding women take prenatal vitamins
with 150 mcg of iodine per day.
Prenatal Vitamins
• Take before or early in pregnancy
• First half of pregnancy especially critical
• Recommend a vitamin that contains 150 mcg of iodine
during pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Not all prenatal multivitamins contain iodine
• Review labels before making recommendations
What does this mean?
• DO NOT increase salt intake
• When adding salt to food, consider using iodized forms
• Vitamins should supplement food
• About 150 mcg from supplements
• Combine with foods to reach 250-500 mcg/day
Assigning Risk 427D
• Risk 427D is Inadequate Vitamin/Mineral
Supplementation .
• In HuBERT the question about supplemention for women
reads “What type of vitamins, minerals, herbal
supplements or teas are you taking?”
• When assessing the supplement for iodine:
• If none – assign the risk
• If yes – ask if it contains iron, folic acid and iodine
• If they don’t know – do not assign risk and refer to their health care
provider.
• If it does not contain any of the 3 nutrients – assign risk
• If it contains all 3 nutrients – do not assign risk
Questions?