Today, 2/3 of the world's population suffers from iodine deficiency . The thing is that a sufficient amount of this trace element in water and soil can boast, perhaps, coastal regions. The remaining areas, which make up 70-80% of the land area, lack iodine. In our country, iodine deficiency is pronounced. This means that with water and a normal diet, we do not get the daily amount of this microelement. Meanwhile, an adult needs 150mkg of iodine daily. And during breastfeeding and pregnancy, the need for iodine increases significantly and reaches 200mkg.
The importance of this trace element is difficult to overestimate. It is the lack of iodine in the body that leads to a decrease in the level of thyroid hormones, namely, triiodothyronine and thyroxine, which regulate the human metabolism. To determine whether iodine is sufficient in the body, you can do it yourself with a small test. Draw with a stick or a match soaked in iodine several stripes on the skin. If after an hour there is no trace left of them, then you are experiencing a deficiency of this microelement. Naturally, this test is very approximate, a more accurate assessment of iodine deficiency can be obtained using laboratory analysis.
What happens with iodine deficiency? If the diet contains iodine-rich foods in insufficient quantities, a person feels general weakness, decreased vision, memory and hearing, drowsiness, fatigue, apathy and headaches. In men, there is a decrease in sexual desire, in women - various disorders of the menstrual cycle. If products rich in iodine are not present at all in the daily diet, there is a chance of developing endemic goiter, which is typical for regions with a low content of this trace element in soil and water. For children, this threatens a lag in mental development and growth.
Iodine deficiency is especially noticeable with increased physical exertion, as well as in the body of nursing mothers, pregnant women and newborns. According to statistics, up to 80% of expectant mothers experience, to one degree or another, a lack of this trace element.
How to make up for iodine deficiency
Nowadays, there are many medications and nutritional supplements that help fill the lack of iodine in the body. However, iodine in food has several advantages. The trace element that comes with food is better absorbed, moreover, it is more slowly excreted from the body. Foods rich in iodine are known to be excellent biostimulants, have a beneficial effect on the immune system, prevent blood clots, and regulate blood coagulation. Supplementing the diet with products containing iodine is especially important for pregnant women and nursing mothers, when the use of chemicals is simply necessary to minimize.
What foods have a lot of iodine? The leaders in iodine content are seaweed, in which 100g contains up to 700mkg of trace elements, cod liver (800mkg per 100g of product) and fish oil (700mkg in 100g of product). They are followed by some species of fish, both marine and river, in particular, capelin, perch, cod, haddock, and pollock. 100g of fish contains up to 460mkg of this microelement. So, to get the daily norm of iodine, a person needs to eat only 180g of cod. Oysters, mussels, squids, shrimps and crab are also distinguished by a high iodine content - 100mkg per 100g of products.
However, iodine-rich foods are not just fish and seafood. This list can be supplemented with sweet pepper and exotic fruits such as feijoa and persimmon. A smaller but significant amount of this trace element is found in beef, pork, steamers, milk, eggs. Iodine is also found in some vegetables - tomatoes, potatoes, radishes, carrots, beets, spinach, asparagus, lettuce, garlic, onions and eggplant. However, it is desirable that the vegetables be grown on iodine-rich soil. A lot of iodine is also found in grapes, bananas, melon, pineapples, citrus fruits, and also in champignons. True, to get the microelement norm per day, you will have to eat 1.5 kg of mushrooms.
To prevent iodine deficiency, iodized salt can also be added to the diet daily , moreover, only 5g of salt per day is enough. However, iodine tends to evaporate easily. Store iodized salt in foil or in opaque plastic packaging and not more than 3 months. In addition to salt, other products enriched with iodine are also produced, for example, iodized oil and iodized mineral water. Now even dairy and meat products enriched with iodine, bread, and confectionery have appeared on sale. There are also special mixtures for children and pregnant women, designed to make up for iodine deficiency.