Iodine status in the Nordic countries - past and present.

• Main Authors: Nyström, Helena Filipsson, Brantsæter, Anne Lise, Erlund, Iris, Gunnarsdottir, Ingibjörg, Hulthén, Lena, Laurberg, Peter, Mattisson, Irene, Rasmussen, Lone Banke, Virtanen, Suvi, Meltzer, Helle Margrete
• Other Authors: 1Institute of Medicine, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. 2Department of Endocrinology, Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden; [e-mail]. 3Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway. 4National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland. 5Unit for Nutrition Research, University of Iceland and Landspitali National University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland. 6Department of Clinical Nutrition, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden. 7Department of Endocrinology, Aalborg University Hospital, Aalborg, Denmark. 8Department of Clinical Medicine, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark. 9National Food Agency, Uppsala, Sweden. 10Department of Endocrinology, Bispebjerg University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. 11School of Health Sciences, University of Tampere, Finland.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Co-Action Publishing 2016
• Subjects: Járn (næringarefni); Skjaldkirtill; NUR12; Scandinavian and Nordic Countries; Goiter; History; Iodine; Thyroid Gland; Norway; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/618813

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Files. This article is open access. Adequate iodine nutrition is dependent on ground water content, seafood, and, as many countries use iodized cow fodder, dairy products. In most countries, salt fortification programs are needed to assure adequate iodine intake. The objectives are threefold: 1) to describe the past and present iodine situation in the Nordic countries, 2) to identify important gaps of knowledge, and 3) to highlight differences among the Nordic countries' iodine biomonitoring and fortification policies. Historical data are compared with the current situation. The Nordic countries' strategies to achieve recommended intake and urine iodine levels and their respective success rates are evaluated. In the past, the iodine situation ranged from excellent in Iceland to widespread goiter and cretinism in large areas of Sweden. The situation was less severe in Norway and Finland. According to a 1960 World Health Organization (WHO) report, there were then no observations of iodine deficiency in Denmark. In Sweden and Finland, the fortification of table salt was introduced 50-75 years ago, and in Norway and Finland, the fortification of cow fodder starting in the 1950s helped improve the population's iodine status due to the high intake of milk. In Denmark, iodine has been added to household salt and salt in bread for the past 15 years. The Nordic countries differ with regard to regulations and degree of governmental involvement. There are indications that pregnant and lactating women, the two most vulnerable groups, are mildly deficient in iodine in several of the Nordic countries. The Nordic countries employ different strategies to attain adequate iodine nutrition. The situation is not optimal and is in need of re-evaluation. Iodine researchers, Nordic national food administrations, and Nordic governmental institutions would ...