Pregnant women should take iodine, Pediatricians Warn

According to the leading group of pediatricians, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), iodine deficiency can be quite common in pregnant women. In order to prevent this, the doctors recommend pregnant women and women who are breastfeeding to take a daily supplement with iodine.

Doctors say iodine is critical to babies’ developing brains. Women should talk to their doctors before taking supplements.

Doctors don’t want to scare moms unduly. Iodine levels aren’t so low that babies will have severe brain damage, said Dr. Jerome Paulson, a pediatrician at Children’s National Health System and chairman of the AAP’s council on environmental health

“The brain development issues are very subtle and are not likely to be noticed in an individual child,” explained Paulson, a pediatrician at Children’s National Health System and chairman of the AAP’s council on environmental health. “It’s an issue for society as a whole when you have a large number of children who are not reaching their full potential.”

Agencies/Canadajournal

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