Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND) are essential for human growth since they provide relevant biological information. Iodine is necessary for human growth, and it mainly originates from the soil. However, humans consume foods grown in iodate areas; thus, they obtain iodine products from the plants. As a result, plants can experience iodine deficiency if the food products do not contain sufficient iodine. Most parts of the ground are usually iodide deficient due to both human and natural causes, and it is inevitable for people to consume food products that lack sufficient iodine (Rohner et al., 2014). As a result, people obtain iodine from subsidized food products, such as iodized salt.
Although changes in iodine are only based on the land, it can also be found in water bodies. In an ocean environment, iodine is carried to the atmosphere through a hydrological circle, and it later returns to the ground through rain and snow. However, the process is prolonged, and it cannot be relied on to replenish the ground iodine, which is lost at a faster rate (Rohner et al., 2014).
The health hazards caused by IDD affect both the young and the old although it is mainly common in children where most parts of the body are not fully developed. In the initial stages of pregnancy, the mother’s thyroid hormone crosses to the fetus, and it acts as the only source of the hormone before the fetus is fully developed. Therefore, it can lead to stillbirth, miscarriages and also mental disorders.
Additionally, During pregnancy, it causes severe short stature and also cretinism. Although IDD mainly causes goiter, it adversely hinders child maturity and growth (Rohner et al., 2014). In most parts of the world, it interferes mostly with neurological functions. It can sometimes result in permanent brain damage that cannot be reversed, especially when it causes low thyroid concentration during fetal growth. The excess of iodine also affects thyroid function, which eventually leads to brain damage.
Although several techniques can be used to estimate the amount of iodine consumed by an individual, there is still a need for functioning biomarkers of thyroid status to complement the current exposure markers to enhance iodine deficiency monitoring. Numerous organizations have tried to solve the issue of deficiency in multiple ways. For instance, WHO recommended that all foodstuffs be iodized due to the high number of people suffering from goiter, especially in low and middle-income countries (Rohner et al., 2014). Despite the worldwide recognition of the problem, few resources are still allocated towards tackling the issue.
Due to the low concentration of iodine in the soil, most food products contain inadequate iodine. However, people may not realize this because it is difficult to measure what people consume in a day. Humans are complicated beings that often eat a variety of meals in a day. Some meals may be snacks full of iodine, while others may not contain any element of iodine. Therefore, it becomes difficult to determine the quantity of iodine that a person can consume.
Reference
Rohner, F., Zimmermann, M., Jooste, P., Pandav, C., Caldwell, K., Raghavan, R., & Raiten, D. J. (2014). Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development—iodine review. The Journal of Nutrition, 144(8), 1322S-1342S. Web.