A new study has found that iodide-containing supplement is necessary for pregnant women in order to protect the brain development of their babies.
According to the leading U.S. group of pediatricians, Iodine is highly required for making the thyroid hormones that is responsible for brain development of the infant before and after birth.
The body can get iodine from iodide, which is commonly availed through table salt. According to the experts, eating processed foods exposes people to salt that is not iodized.
According to the American Thyroid Association and the National Academy of Sciences, pregnant and breastfeeding women get 290 micrograms of iodide per day.
“Breastfeeding mothers should take a supplement that includes at least 150 micrograms of iodide and use iodized table salt,” the American Academy of Pediatrics Council writes.
“Women who are childbearing age need to pay attention to this topic as well, because about half of the pregnancies in the U.S. are unplanned. “Women in the early part of the pregnancy may not realize they’re pregnant,” said Dr. Jerome Paulson, chairperson of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Environmental Health.
Paulson, who has authored the policy statement, is also a pediatrician at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
The findings were published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics.