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Impact of removing iodized salt on the iodine nutrition of children living in areas with variable iodine content in drinking water

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Abstract

Purpose

Excess iodine in drinking water has emerged as a public health issue in China. This study assesses the effectiveness of removing iodized salt on reducing the iodine excess in populations living in high-iodine areas and also to identify the threshold value for safe levels of iodine in water.

Methods

Twelve villages from 5 cities of Hebei Province with iodine content in drinking water ranging from 39 to 313 µg/l were selected to compare the urinary iodine content of children aged 8–10 years before and after removing iodized salt from their diet.

Results

For 3 villages where median water iodine content (MWIC) was below 110 µg/l, following the removal of iodized salt (the intervention), the median urinary iodine content (MUIC) reduced to under 300 µg/l decreasing from 365, 380, 351 to 247, 240, 281 µg/l, respectively. However, the MUIC in the 9 villages with MWIC above 110 µg/l remained higher than 300 µg/l. The children’s MUIC correlated positively with the MWIC in the 12 villages (p ≤ 0.001). The linear regression equation after removing iodized salt was MUIC = 0.6761MWIC + 225.67, indicating that to keep the MUIC below 300 µg/l (the iodine excess threshold recommended by the WHO) requires the MWIC to be under 110 µg/l.

Conclusion

Removing iodized salt could only correct the iodine excess in the population living in the areas with MWIC below 110 µg/l. In the areas with water iodine above 110 µg/l, interventions should be focused on seeking water with lower iodine content. This study suggests a threshold value of 110 µg/l of iodine in drinking water to maintain a safe level of dietary iodine.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Hebei Provincial Bureau of Science and Technology (Grant Numbers: 11276103D-3) and did not receive any other specific grant from commercial or not-for-profit sector, so the authors declare no conflict of interest. Shengmin Lv was responsible for the study design, data analysis, paper writing and investigation training. Yinglu Zhao, Yanxia Li, Yuchun Wang, Hua Liu and Yang Li were in charge of the field investigation and laboratory measurement in Xingtai, Handan, Hengshui, Cangzhou and Langfang city. Jun Zhao did the quality control of laboratory detection. Dr. Shannon Rutherford did the revision and English polishing. The authors thank the staff in endemic control department of CDC of the relevant counties involved in this study for their assistance in the field investigation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hebei Province Center for Disease Prevention and Control, No. 97, Huai’an Donglu, P.O. Box 050021, Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, China

    Shengmin Lv & Jun Zhao

  2. Xingtai Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Xingtai City, Hebei Province, China

    Yinglu Zhao

  3. Handan Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Handan City, Hebei Province, China

    Yanxia Li

  4. Hengshui Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Hengshui City, Hebei Province, China

    Yuchun Wang

  5. Cangzhou Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Cangshou City, Hebei Province, China

    Hua Liu

  6. Langfang Municipal Center for Disease Prevention and Control , Langfang City, Hebei Province, China

    Yang Li

  7. School of Environment, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

    Shannon Rutherford

Authors
  1. Shengmin Lv
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  2. Yinglu Zhao
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  3. Yanxia Li
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  4. Yuchun Wang
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  5. Hua Liu
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  7. Jun Zhao
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  8. Shannon Rutherford
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Correspondence to Shengmin Lv.

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Lv, S., Zhao, Y., Li, Y. et al. Impact of removing iodized salt on the iodine nutrition of children living in areas with variable iodine content in drinking water. Eur J Nutr 54, 905–912 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-014-0767-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-014-0767-z

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