Contents:
- Medical Video: How 10 Signs and Symptoms of Iodine Deficient Can Keep You Out of Trouble?
- The effect is on the baby if the mother lacks iodine during pregnancy
- How much iodine is needed by pregnant women?
- What foods are high in iodine?
- Do I need to take iodine supplements during pregnancy?
Medical Video: How 10 Signs and Symptoms of Iodine Deficient Can Keep You Out of Trouble?
If you hear, good quality salt is salt that contains iodine. Or iodine is added to the salt. But what actually makes iodine is very important, especially for pregnant women? Then how much iodine must be fulfilled while pregnant?
The effect is on the baby if the mother lacks iodine during pregnancy
Iodine is a mineral that plays a role in producing thyroid hormones. Meanwhile, thyroid hormone is a hormone that plays an important role in the development of the brain and body organs, child growth, digestion and food metabolism, regulating body temperature, and controlling muscle contractions.
When pregnancy arrives, iodine is responsible for brain and nerve development and fetal growth. With sufficient amount of iodine, baby's nerve cells can grow and develop properly.
Conversely, lack of iodine during pregnancy will make the fetus not grow and develop perfectly, causing birth defects and low birth weight. In addition, iodine deficiency during pregnancy can also cause the mother to experience a miscarriage or stillbirth.
How much iodine is needed by pregnant women?
According to the Indonesian Ministry of Health, iodine requirements for normal women are 150 mcg per day. but when the woman enters pregnancy, her needs rise 70 mcg, to 220 mcg per day. This increased need is done to prevent mothers from experiencing iodine deficiency during pregnancy.
When pregnancy arrives, iodine is not only needed to meet the needs of the mother, but iodine is also responsible for brain development, the nervous system, and the formation of fetal thyroid hormones.
Even the importance of iodine for pregnant women has been proven in a study published in the journal The Lancet in 2013. This study states that pregnant women given good iodine intake will have children with better reading and speaking skills than pregnant women who experience iodine deficiency.
What foods are high in iodine?
Indeed iodine has been added to the salt so that the Indonesian people do not experience iodine deficiency. However, that does not mean you are increasing the use of salt in your cuisine. That will only have a negative effect on you and the baby in the womb.
You can find iodine in several food sources such as:
- Seafood: salmon, various kinds of shellfish.
- Dairy products: cow's milk, yogurt, cheese.
- Other food sources: chicken eggs, beef, chicken, various nuts.
Do I need to take iodine supplements during pregnancy?
If the selection of your food is good and the food containing iodine is already on your diet every day, then you really don't need the supplement. However, if you cannot meet the iodine needs of food, you can take iodine supplements or pregnancy supplements containing iodine. But before you decide to use supplements, it's better to talk to your doctor about this first.
