A study with more than two thousand children of school age in the North region, which will be presented this Thursday, concluded that excess iodine has an influence on cognitive performance.
The work, carried out by a group of researchers from the Instituto Universitário de Ciências da Saúde – CESPU, the faculties of Medicine and Pharmacy of the University of Porto, the Faculty of Medical Sciences of Universidade Nova de Lisboa, among others, follows on from another study that had already concluded that iodine deficiency also impairs cognitive development.
In the study, which will be presented at the International Congress of TOXRUN, Toxicology Research Unit of the University Institute of Health Sciences – CESPU, iodine levels and the Intelligence quotient (IQ) of about two thousand children between five and 12 years of age in schools in the North region.
In statements to Portuguese, Sandra Leal, one of the researchers involved, warned of the importance of these data for adjusting public policies: “above-normal levels of iodine are also associated with lower IQ, that is, measures that are too general need to be careful” in this matter. “Deficiency is bad, but excess is also not very good”, she stressed.
The range of daily doses of iodine recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) varies according to age and are grouped into four levels: 90 micrograms for children up to age five, 120 micrograms for children between the ages of six and 11 and 150 micrograms for adults and seniors. For pregnant and lactating women, the daily requirement is 250 micrograms.
In this study, the investigators concluded that a greater proportion of children with levels above the recommended levels had below-average IQs, the same as had been observed for those with iodine deficiency.
Confessing that the researchers were surprised by these results, Sandra Leal drew attention to the importance of adjusting public health promotion policies according to the characteristics of the population after the diagnosis has been made.
“Even the promotion policies have to have, have to be adjusted to socioeconomic reality of the population”he adds.
Iodine is an essential trace element for the normal functioning of the organism and the only way to obtain it is from the diet, as it is not produced by the body, and serves to keep the metabolic processes of growth and development of the brain and nervous system in balance. .
The richest foods in iodine are those of marine origin, such as mackerel, mussels, cod, salmon, hake, cockles or shrimp, but it also exists in milk, egg or liver.
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