Iodized salt availability

Make quality iodized salt available for consumption by the whole of the Tibetan population ... 

Iodine deficiency in less developed countries is still a serious problem. Whereas, iodized and iodated salt technology is readily available and relatively inexpensive, market distribution conditions, as well as a lack of understanding by consumers, prevents iodized salt from reaching much of the population in less-developed countries. 

Iodine Essential in many organisms thyroxine imponant in metabolism and growth regulation, amphibian metamorphosis. Scarcely toxic as the iodide low iodide availability in certain areas increases the incidence of goiter, largely eliminated by the use of iodized salt. Elemental iodine is toxic like CU and Br Concentrated up to 2.5 ppt by some marine algae. 

Iodine is a mineral that is required for the proper function of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland extracts iodine from nutrients and incorporates it into various hormones. The once-common condition of goiter, an enlargement of the thyroid gland, is an abnormality that results from an effort to compensate for low iodine intake. Goiter can be prevented if iodine is included in the diet. Seafood is one of the best sources of iodine. In areas where seafood is not available, dietary iodine is easily obtained in the form of iodized salt, found in most grocery stores. 

Table salt is pure salt that has been ground into fine particles. Because salt tends to cake in humid climates, an anti-caking agent such as magnesium carbonate or calcium silicate is often added. Table salt is also available as iodized salt with 0.1 percent potassium iodide by weight. Because iodide ion is essential to thyroid gland fimction, the routine use of iodized salt ensures adequate iodine in the diet. 

Before iodized salt was available, many people failed to get enough iodine in their diets and goiter was a very common health problem. 

In addition, the supply of iodized salt in the Phifippines was short because of a low production rate of iodized salt despite adequate capacity, which in turn was attributable to a low public demand for iodized salt, in a situation where abundant noniodized, cheaper salt was available. This example illustrates a number of factors that may play a role in the discrepancy sometimes seen between iodine knowledge level and behavior. More factors may be present in other countries, but the message for program managers is to be watchful for these factors that may weaken the iodine program, even when knowledge of iodine nutrition is satisfactory. 

However, in countries with mandatory iodization, only iodized salt is available on the shelf and the question may rightly be asked Is education, and therefore a certain level of iodine knowledge, really necessary in countries with mandatory iodization, since the iodine is in all the salt anyway The answer is unreservedly yes for a number of... 

Five years after the introduction of iodized salt in Sri Lanka, the prevalence of Tg-Ab was high among schoolchildren. The interpretation of the authors was that this was the result of the increased iodine intake (Premawardhana et al., 2000). Three years later, when the status was re-evaluated, the prevalence of Tg-Ab had decreased significandy (Mazziotti et ai, 2003). Unfortunately, no pre-iodine data on thyroid autoantibodies were available. 

There was controversy about the relationship between iodine deficiency and neurological cretinism. The apparent disappearance of cretinism in southern Europe without any iodized salt program suggested that it was not related to iodine deficiency. In 1964, there was an opportunity to investigate this question in New Guinea, because of the availabihty of a new method for the correction of iodine deficiency that is, injections of iodized oil (lipidol) were made available. 

When LJSI was pursued throughout China, for the most part it was a matter of people switching to iodized salt when it became the only salt available in the market. In areas such as Tibet, however, the situation is quite different. Relatively low economic development, compounded by readily available raw salt through the century-old, traditional barter system, has made the push for iodized salt much more challenging. Health education using locally-developed relevant materials and communication channels, such as culturally sensitive posters, radio broadcasts and television advertising, to create demand for iodized salt was one of the important interventions of the project (Li et al., 2005). 

These successes have also required political will to develop and enforce appropriate regulations, and a commitment to ensure that iodized salt remains accessible and available at an affordable price for all consumers. With these conditions in place, public and private actors have been able to work together to leverage expertise, spread any potential financial risks and improve the quality of iodized salt (Nelson 2007). 

Mannar, V. (1999). Iodized Salt for the Elimination of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (Online). Available from http //www. iodinenetwork.net/documents/Iodized%20Salt%20for%20the% 20Elimination%20of%20IDD.pdf Accessed on July 14, 2007. 

The availability of iodized salt in most households throughout the world increased within a decade from less than 10% in 1990 to more than 70% in 2000 (Ramalingaswami, 1973). Europe (Rapa eta/., 1999 Valeix et a/., 1999 Hampel et a/., 1996 Vitti et a/., 2001) and Austraha (McElduff et a/., 2002 Li et a/., 2001 Gunton et al., 1999) may still suffer from iodine insufficiency to some degree. 

In 2003, new initiatives were developed and instituted to accelerate progress to achieve the goal of USE These efforts have been spearheaded by the Department of Health and supported by the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF), Kiwanis and ICCIDD. There is renewed optimism that strengthening and enforcing the law on salt iodization, and making iodized salt more affordable and available through cutting taxes, will accelerate the effort to eliminate IDD in the Phifippines. 

With the discovery of endemic goiter prior to the 1920s, table salt was iodized in 1924 at a low level of 5 ppm, assuming that if 10 g of salt was consumed each day, iodine intakes would increase by 40 xg/day (Purves, 1974). New Zealand was the second country in the world after Switzerland to introduce iodized salt. In 1927, it was estimated that the consumption of salt was closer to 5-6g/day, and that approximately 50% of the iodine in iodized salt was lost between production in England or Canada and sale in New Zealand (Hercus and Roberts, 1927). In 1938, the Department of Health increased the level of iodiza-tion in salt to the current level of iodine of 40—80 mg/kg. However, food manufacturers did not use iodized salt in processed foods, despite this option being available to... 

Supplements. Potassium iodide is available as a nutritional supplement, typically in combination products, such as multivitamin/multimineral supplements. Iodine makes up approximately 77% of the total weight of potassium iodide. ° Potassium iodide as well as potassium iodate may be used to iodize salt. Iodized vegetable oil is also used in some countries as an iodine source. °- ... 

Iodine is a trace mineral needed by the body in only very small quantities. It is used in the synthesis of a hormone that regulates basal metabolic rate. Its deficiency results in goiter, a condition in which the thyroid gland swells as it tries to capture as many iodine particles as possible. Iodine deficiency during pregnancy can result in severe retardation of the developing baby. Iodine is readily available in iodized salt, seafood, and milk. The addition of iodine to salt has all but eliminated the effects of its deficiency in developed countries. The DRI for iodine is 150 pig/day, provided by about one-half teaspoon of iodized salt. 

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