On May 15, the 17th “Prevention and Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders Day”, the National High Level Forum on Prevention and Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders was held in Beijing. Mao Qun’an, spokesperson of the Ministry of Health and director of the Ministry of Health Press and Publicity Center, announced the evaluation results of the National Food Safety Risk Assessment Expert Committee, saying that, according to the evaluation of the population’s urinary iodine level and dietary iodine intake, the iodine nutrition status of the majority of residents in China, except for areas with high water iodine, is at an appropriate and safe level, and coastal areas are no exception; salt iodization has not caused excessive iodine intake among Chinese residents. The health risk of iodine deficiency among our residents is greater than the health risk of iodine overdose. Therefore, the continued implementation of salt iodization strategy is necessary to improve the iodine nutrition status of residents in most areas, including coastal areas. However, there is no longer a one-size-fits-all approach to the amount of iodine added, and the Ministry of Health is accelerating the revision of the “Iodine Content of Edible Salt” standard and organizing experts to revise the “Regulations on Salt Iodization to Eliminate Iodine Deficiency Hazards”. Survey shows that iodine intake in coastal areas of China does not exceed the standard In recent years, scholars and the public are very concerned about the scientific nature of China’s universal salt iodization strategy, especially whether there is excessive iodine intake among residents in coastal areas who consume iodized salt to prevent iodine deficiency diseases. From May to December 2009, the Center for Endemic Disease Control, Nutrition and Food Safety of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a survey on iodine nutrition and dietary iodine intake in coastal areas in four provinces (cities): Liaoning, Shanghai, Zhejiang and Fujian. The results showed that: the overall level of iodine nutrition of residents in coastal areas in China is appropriate, and a certain proportion of pregnant women have insufficient iodine nutrition; the amount of iodine obtained from the diet (including iodized salt) of residents in coastal areas is safe; aquatic products in coastal areas are not the main source of dietary iodine intake, and the iodine content of salt and salt consumption contribute to about 80% of dietary iodine intake, and salt iodine is the main source of dietary iodine intake. Salt iodine is the main source of dietary iodine intake. Therefore, coastal areas should also adhere to the strategy of salt iodization to prevent and treat iodine deficiency diseases, and pay close attention to the problem of iodine deficiency in pregnant women to protect infants and children from the harmful effects of iodine deficiency. Iodine deficiency is a disease caused by the lack of iodine in the natural environment. Professor Dai Weixin from the Department of Endocrinology of Peking Union Medical College Hospital said that iodine deficiency disease is not only the commonly referred to goiter, but also the greatest harm to human beings is the damage to intelligence and even intellectual disability. There are two critical periods for human brain development: the first critical period is from the third month of pregnancy to before birth, called the intrauterine period, during which iodine deficiency causes thyroid hormone deficiency, which will definitely affect brain development and cause irreversible damage; the second critical period is from childbirth to 2 years old, i.e. the postnatal period, during which iodine deficiency is more important, especially in the first half year after birth, and if iodine deficiency occurs at this time, it will If iodine deficiency occurs during this period, it can cause intellectual backwardness, especially deficiency in abstract thinking ability. In terms of the extent and importance of brain development, the intrauterine period is more important than the postnatal period, because a normal, mature and sound brain tissue is mainly developed during the embryonic period. If iodine supplementation is done after the end of these two critical periods, it is too late. Brain tissue that is already behind in development will never develop again. According to research calculations, the appropriate supply of iodine for pregnant and lactating women is 200 micrograms per day. For infants and children (0-12 months), the appropriate amount is 50 micrograms per person per day. Iodine deficiency in adults can lead to goiter. Since iodine is an important raw material indispensable for the synthesis of thyroid hormones in the body, iodine deficiency can lead to insufficient synthesis of thyroid hormones in the body, resulting in an increase in thyroid stimulating the thyroid gland to proliferate and hypertrophy, resulting in goiter, commonly known as “big neck” or “thick neck”. This is commonly known as “big neck” or “thick neck” disease. The enlarged thyroid gland affects the movement of the head and neck, making it difficult to breathe, hoarse and mentally uninspiring, and prevents patients from participating in heavy physical work. People living in iodine-deficient areas should insist on using iodized salt all year round. According to research calculations, the normal adult physiological requirement for iodine is 75 micrograms per person per day, but scientists believe that the supply of iodine should be more than the physiological requirement, and the appropriate supply should be two times the physiological requirement, i.e. 150 micrograms. Rational view of iodized salt “side effects” No need to worry about iodine overdose The use of iodized salt to prevent iodine deficiency disorders is very safe and effective. It has been more than 80 years since it was first consumed in the world, and there has not been a single case of iodine overdose, iodine poisoning or iodine allergy due to iodized salt. In recent years, some clinicians have noticed that more patients in hospitals are suffering from hyperthyroidism (hyperthyroidism for short), a situation that has also been reported abroad. For example, in the Netherlands, the prevalence of hyperthyroidism rose from 1 in 100,000 to 2 in 100,000 in a few years after the popularization of iodized salt; in Austria, the prevalence rose from 3 in 10,000 to 6 in 10,000; in Tasmania, the prevalence of hyperthyroidism was 18 in 100,000 before the popularization of iodized salt, but increased by about 2 times in a few years after the popularization of iodized salt. Some of these hyperthyroid patients were originally hyperthyroid patients who were cured and then relapsed, some had other thyroid diseases, and some were normal people, and the reasons for their occurrence are not clear. Some experts have reported that the number of hyperthyroidism patients started to increase 6 months after the introduction of iodized salt, but gradually decreased to the original level within 3-10 years. In this regard, Prof. Dai Weixin believes that the increase of hyperthyroidism in China does not mean the increase of incidence. In the past, there was no good means of detecting hyperthyroidism, but with the improvement of medical level and health awareness of the population, the detection rate of hyperthyroidism has increased. As for the public’s concern about excessive iodine, Professor Dai believes that the normal human body has a good metabolic system, and the body will automatically regulate excessive iodine intake, so if you don’t have thyroid disease, you don’t need to worry even if your iodine intake is high. The most fundamental measure to prevent and treat iodine deficiency is to iodize salt, and iodized salt should be consumed for years. When using iodized salt, you should try to avoid iodine volatilization by heat, so it is better to put iodized salt far away from the stove top. When cooking, it is better to add seasoned iodized salt when the soup or dish is about to be ready, or after it is already done, and avoid bursting pots, long stews and long cooking with iodized salt. Seafood is high in iodine, spinach and celery are also iodine supplements In addition to iodized salt, you can also supplement through food. Most land plants are low in iodine, except for spinach and celery, which are high in iodine. The iodine in seafood is several times higher than in land plants, and in some cases up to several dozen times higher. The kelp we usually eat has 10 mg of iodine per kilogram. Sea fish and nori are also better foods for iodine supplementation in daily life. Eating seaweed regularly not only replenishes the iodine in the body but also allows the intake of other kinds of trace elements, amino acids and vitamins at the same time. Therefore, seafood is the only food that contains high levels of iodine in nature, so you should pay attention to eating more of this kind of food, as it is the best natural iodine supplement.