Iodized salt is the safest way

Recent events in Uzbekistan have caused IGN to think about the importance of safety when including iodine in the diet.

The human body needs tiny amounts of iodine – less than a teaspoonful in a lifetime – to ensure adequate nutrition, protecting the health and brain development of children.

Iodine deficiency occurs globally, and salt iodization is the cheapest and safest way to ensure adequate iodine status of the population.

In 2021, in accordance with a Presidential decree, Uzbekistan decided to provide iodine supplements to pregnant women and millions of children aged from 3 to fifteen years.  As the supplement contained too much iodine for children, especially preschoolers, the tablet was supposed to be divided in half.

Distribution began in September 2023, and within the very first days, almost 3000 children reported symptoms such as nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.  It is difficult to ascertain whether the supplement, antistrumin, forgotten since Soviet times, was the cause of the symptoms.

WHO recommends prescription of iodine supplements in significantly lower doses than those used in Uzbekistan, and only for pregnant and lactating women and children under 2 years old who are not breastfed and do not receive supplementary feeding fortified with iodine.  Beyond these specific groups, WHO identifies salt iodization as the most effective and inexpensive way to improve and sustain iodine status.

Our mission at IGN is to ensure that salt is iodized forever to protect children’s brain development.  We work with governments, industry and other partners to make salt iodization programs as effective, efficient, equitable and sustainable as they can be.

Every dollar spent on salt iodization has a $30 impact, allowing children to learn better at school, earn more as adults, and fully contribute to the social and economic development of their communities and countries.  It’s a wise – and a safe – investment.