1. Suboptimal Maternal Iodine Intake Is Associated with Impaired Child Neurodevelopment at 3 Years of Age in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study
- Author
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Liv Elin Torheim, Margaretha Haugen, Ida Henriette Caspersen, Anne Lise Brantsæter, Helle Margrete Meltzer, Heidi Aase, Ragnhild Eek Brandlistuen, Marianne Hope Abel, and Jan Alexander
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,0301 basic medicine ,Pediatrics ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Language delay ,Population ,Neurodevelopment ,Nutritional Status ,Medicine (miscellaneous) ,chemistry.chemical_element ,030209 endocrinology & metabolism ,Iodine ,Cohort Studies ,03 medical and health sciences ,Child Development ,0302 clinical medicine ,Pregnancy ,medicine ,Humans ,education ,MoBa ,Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena ,education.field_of_study ,030109 nutrition & dietetics ,Nutrition and Dietetics ,Norway ,business.industry ,Diets ,medicine.disease ,Iodine deficiency ,Child development ,chemistry ,Dietary Reference Intake ,Child, Preschool ,Female ,business ,Cohort study - Abstract
Background: Severe iodine deficiency in pregnancy has major effects on child neurodevelopment, but less is known about the potential consequences of mild-to-moderate deficiency and iodine supplement use. Objective: We explored the associations between maternal iodine intake and child neurodevelopment at 3 y of age and the potential impact of maternal intake of iodine from supplements on the same outcomes. Methods: This population-based prospective observational study included 48,297 mother-child pairs recruited during pregnancy from 2002 to 2008. Maternal iodine intake was calculated based on a validated food-frequency questionnaire answered during midpregnancy that covered mean intake since the beginning of pregnancy. Associations between iodine intake and maternal-reported child language and motor development and behavior problems were explored by multivariable regression analyses. Results: In 33,047 mother-child pairs, excluding iodine supplement users, maternal iodine intake was associated with child language delay (P = 0.024), externalizing and internalizing behavior problems (both P < 0.001), and fine motor skills (P = 0.002) but not gross motor skills or the risk of not walking unaided at 17 mo of age. In 74% of the participants who had an iodine intake 1.5 SD, and 16% (95% CI: 10%, 21%) of the cases of internalizing behavior problems >1.5 SD. In 48,297 mother-child pairs, including iodine supplement users, we found no protective effects of supplemental iodine during pregnancy on neurodevelopment. Conclusions: Maternal iodine intake below the Estimated Average Requirement during pregnancy was associated with symptoms of child language delay, behavior problems, and reduced fine motor skills at 3 y of age. The results showed no evidence of a protective effect of iodine supplementation during pregnancy.
- Published
- 2017