If women take iodine supplements during pregnancy, their babies will have higher IQs

　　Recently, a new British study found that female Iodine supplementation before and during pregnancy can help improve your baby’s IQ and healthy。

　　Dr. Kate Julie, a professor at the University of Birmingham in the UK, and her colleagues analyzed and sorted out multiple research reports and expert opinions. Through mathematical modeling, they converted the effect of iodine supplementation during pregnancy on brain development into an IQ score. The calculation results are that iodine supplementation by the mother during pregnancy is equivalent to a 1.22 increase in the child's childhood IQ. The study also found that approximately 1.9 billion people and 241 million school-age children (aged 6 to 12 years old) live in 32 iodine-deficient countries. Iodine supplementation is common during pregnancy and is of great significance to improving the quality of the population.

　　Dr. Julie said that severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy can lead to mental disorders, developmental delays and low IQ in children. When they grow up, their income will inevitably be severely affected due to their low level of education. International organizations such as the World Health Organization and the European Food Safety Authority recommend that pregnant and breastfeeding women should take a daily supplement of iodine. In iodine-deficient countries, all women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or preparing to become pregnant should supplement iodine every day and eat iodine-rich foods such as dairy products and seafood. In iodine-deficient areas, iodine supplementation drugs or supplements can be taken under the guidance of a doctor.

　　What are the foods rich in iodine?

　　1. Seafood

　　Marine organisms are high in iodine. The foods with the highest iodine content are seafood, such as kelp, seaweed, fresh hairtail, dried clams, dried clams, scallops, mussels, sea cucumbers, jellyfish, lobster, etc.

　　Kelp has the highest iodine content, reaching more than 240 mg/kg in dried kelp; followed by sea shellfish and fresh fish, reaching about 800 μg/kg. However, the iodine content in salt is very small. The more refined the salt, the less iodine it contains. The iodine content in sea salt is about 20 micrograms/kg.

　　2. Terrestrial food

　　On land, eggs and milk contain the highest iodine content of 40 μg/kg to 90 μg/kg, followed by meat. The iodine content of freshwater fish is lower than that of meat. The iodine content of plants is the lowest, especially fruits and vegetables.