Iodised salt and iodine levels in pregnant women and newborns
What it found
More than half of pregnant women and their newborns had low iodine levels, even though nearly all used iodised salt.
This was measured in people in Turkey.
What they found
Studies in people
Low iodine in most
About 57.9% of the pregnant women and 53.3% of the newborns had low iodine in their urine. Breast milk iodine was also low in 52.0% of cases.
Thyroid hormone levels
The average TSH level for the mothers was 2.34 mIU/L. About 18.7% of the women showed signs of an underactive thyroid. Five newborns had high TSH levels in their cord blood.
High thyroglobulin levels
Thyroglobulin, a protein linked to iodine shortage, was higher than expected in 50.5% of newborns and 22.4% of pregnant women.
Iodised salt use
Almost everyone used iodised salt. Usage was 96.3% overall, 97.5% in cities and 92.9% in rural areas.
Linked iodine levels
Mothers with more iodine in their urine tended to have babies with more iodine in their urine and breast milk.
What the authors conclude
- They conclude that iodine shortage remains a major problem during pregnancy in this area.
- Their findings come despite a long-running salt iodisation programme in Konya.
How it was done
Turkey has required iodised salt since 1999. The authors wanted to see if this rule gave pregnant women and their babies enough iodine.
They tested 107 pregnant women and their 107 full-term babies at a hospital in Konya, Turkey. They measured iodine in urine and breast milk, along with several thyroid hormones.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This study looked at people at one point in time.
- It can show links between measurements but cannot prove that iodised salt caused any specific outcome.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- Güzelyurt District Government Hospital, Turkey; University of Necmettin Erbakan, Turkey; Karatay Fetih Family Health Center, Turkey
The paper
- Title
- Effects of mandatory salt iodization on breast milk, urinary iodine concentrations, and thyroid hormones: is iodine deficiency still a continuing problem?
- Type
- Study
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Isiklar Ozberk D, Kutlu R, Kilinc I, Kilicaslan AO (2019). Effects of mandatory salt iodization on breast milk, urinary iodine concentrations, and thyroid hormones: is iodine deficiency still a continuing problem?. Journal of endocrinological investigation. doi:10.1007/s40618-018-0930-0PubMed 30099723DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error