title: Importance of iodine in pregnancy.
abstract: Iodine is an essential constituent of thyroid hormones (TH). TH actively take part in critical periods of brain development during embryonic, fetal and postnatal stages. Therefore the absence of TH or iodine in these critical periods produces an irreversible brain damage. In fact, it is known that iodine deficiency is the leading cause of preventable brain damage worldwide. Because of the physiological adjustments during pregnancy iodine requirements increase significantly from 150 microg per day in non-pregnant adult women to 250 microg per day. Moreover, recent epidemiological studies around the world show that iodine intake during pregnancy is insufficient in many countries, even in developed countries like Australia, Spain and Italy. In the present work an overview of the importance of iodine nutrition during pregnancy is given.
authors.forename: Nicolás
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Carreto-Molina
authors.forename: Pablo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: García-Solís
authors.forename: Juan Carlos
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Solís-S
authors.forename: Ludivina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Robles-Osorio
authors.forename: Hebert Luis
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Hernández-Montiel
authors.forename: Genaro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vega-Malagón
mesh_terms: D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007455:Iodine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D009751:Nutritional Requirements; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D007455:Iodine