Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • News & Views
  • Published:

Nutrition

Are mild maternal iodine deficiency and child IQ linked?

A recent observational study from the UK has reported lower IQ and poorer school performance in children born to iodine-deficient mothers than in children whose mothers were iodine-sufficient. These findings add to growing evidence that even mild-to-moderate maternal iodine deficiency impairs the cognitive development of the child.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Relevant articles

Open Access articles citing this article.

Access options

Buy this article

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Bath, S. C., Steer, C. D., Golding, J., Emmett, P. & Rayman, M. P. Effect of inadequate iodine status in UK pregnant women on cognitive outcomes in their children: results from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Lancet http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60436-5.

  2. World Health Organization, United Nations Children's Fund & International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders. Assessment of Iodine Deficiency Disorders and Monitoring their Elimination. 3rd ed. (World Health Organization, Geneva, 2007).

  3. Hynes, K. L., Otahal, P., Hay, I. & Burgess, J. R. Mild iodine deficiency during pregnancy is associated with reduced educational outcomes in the offspring: 9-year follow-up of the Gestational Iodine Cohort. J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. 98, 1954–1962 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Zimmermann, M. B. et al. Iodine supplementation improves cognition in iodine-deficient schoolchildren in Albania: a randomized, controlled, double-blind study. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 83, 108–114 (2006).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Gordon, R. C. et al. Iodine supplementation improves cognition in mildly iodine-deficient children. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 90, 1264–1271 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Caldwell, K. et al. Iodine status in pregnant women in the United States: National Children's Study and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Thyroid http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/thy.2013.0012.

  7. Vanderpump, M. P. et al. Iodine status of UK schoolgirls: a cross-sectional survey. Lancet 377, 2007–2012 (2011).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Zimmermann, M. B. Iodine deficiency in industrialised countries. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 69, 133–143 (2010).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Li, M. et al. Are Australian children iodine deficient? Results of the Australian National Iodine Nutrition Study. Med. J. Aust. 184, 165–169 (2006).

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Gahche, J. J., Bailey, R. L., Mirel, L. B. & Dwyer, J. T. The prevalence of using iodine-containing supplements is low among reproductive-age women, NHANES 1999–2006. J. Nutr. 143, 872–877 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zimmermann, M. Are mild maternal iodine deficiency and child IQ linked?. Nat Rev Endocrinol 9, 505–506 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2013.128

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrendo.2013.128

This article is cited by

Search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing