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Iodine Supplements May Boost Children's Mental Power

07/11/2009 19:56:00 admin

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One study published in the Oct 2009 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition suggested that iodine supplements may boost mental function in children who have a mild deficiency of the nutrient.

Iodine is a trace element that is needed for normal growth and development of the brain and other parts of the body. Iodine must come from foods including seafood, dairy products, plant based foods and iodized table salt.

Iodine deficiency in severe cases has long been known for inducing mental impairment, stunted growth and other medical conditions in children.

For the study, Dr. Sheila A. Skeaff at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand and colleagues assigned 184 children who were mildly iodine deficient children a tablet containing 150 micrograms of iodine or a placebo daily for 28 weeks.

Those who were given iodine tablets gained better scores on two standard cognitive tests which indicate problem-solving capabilities, than those given placebo tablets.

By David Liu and editing by Rachel Stockton

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Comments (2 posted):

akku on 24/11/2009 10:04:28

Hi,
Really iodine is essential for proper brain development and cognitive ability.Iodine may just be the most overlooked mineral, yet its importance to overall health and well being cannot be overstated. Iodine is critical for the formation of thyroid hormone in the thyroid gland. People who have difficulty losing weight even though they eat small portions of health promoting foods may be short on iodine. Iodine deficiency can lead to dull and brittle hair, balding, lack of skin tone, low energy levels, difficulty dealing with environmental temperature change, poor concentration, constipation, depression, and extreme fatigue.Thank you very much for making people aware about benefits of iodine.

clavier on 26/11/2009 04:19:25

Health conscious people expect conventional produce to be grown in soils deficient in essential minerals. They may be surprised to find out that organic produce is also often lacking sufficient amounts of iodine. Adequate intake of iodine was once a recognized problem that was solved by adding small amounts of it in the processing of table salt. Once this was done, the obvious symptoms of severe iodine deficiency disappeared from view, and little further thought was given to matter, though sub-clinical symptoms remained.