Mineral deficiency exposes 19 million babies a year to brain damage risk

A lack of iodine in pregnancy and early childhood puts nearly 19 million babies around the world at risk of permanent but preventable brain damage every year, a new report has warned.

Insufficient iodine during pregnancy can adversely affect neurological and psychological development, reducing a child’s IQ by eight to 10 points.

More broadly, widespread iodine deficiency can diminish the cognitive capital of entire nations, diminishing socio-economic progress, experts claim.

A global movement to add small amounts of iodine to edible salt has been successfully addressing the problem of iodine deficiency since the mid 1990s, protecting the developing brains of children worldwide.

However, research published on Thursday revealed more work is needed to tackle the issue, with 14% of babies born globally still at risk of preventable brain damage.

Over the past decade, the UN children’s agency, Unicef, has been working in tandem with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (Gain) to tackle iodine deficiency.


Source : theguardian