The world of Tzu Chi March 2021 (Vol.132)

2021 • 03 58 ellness Translated by Yip Sook Ying Why Take Iodized Salt? Long-term iodine deficiency will lead to one’s thyroid function needing to overwork to produce the hormones that our body requires. This is also the cause of enlarged thyroid glands (goitre). A survey report issued by Malaysia Ministry of Health (MOH) in September 2020 indicated that 48.2% of school-going children aged eight to ten years old suffer from iodine deficiency. 2.1% of Malaysian children suffer from enlarged thyroid glands, a condition known as goitre. The report also showed that iodine intake among pregnant women is not at the optimal level. As such, MOH implemented Universal Salt Iodization, mandating iodine to be added to salt weighing 20 kg or below before it can be sold in Malaysia. When we speak of calcium, most people are aware of its importance for bone health. However, iodine receives relatively less attention. I observed that some vegetarians even rule out the possibility of them facing iodine deficiency. Some people describe that a beautiful butterfly lives in our body—the butterfly- shaped thyroid gland that sits on the front of the neck. There are various glands that produce and secrete hormones in the human body, and the thyroid gland is one of them. The thyroid gland produces and releases thyroid hormones. You can imagine it as a postman in the human body that delivers important messages to organs and cells, to regulate the body’s basal metabolic rate, growth and development, and so on. In order to produce thyroid hormones, we need nutrients, and iodine is one of the crucial ones. Nevertheless, our body does not produce iodine by itself. Hence, we need to introduce iodine through our diet. When one has long-term dietary iodine deficiency, the production of thyroid hormones will decrease, leading to the enlargement of the thyroid. This is because the gland needs greater effort to produce adequate thyroid hormones. In fact, iodine deficiency is most detrimental to pregnant and breastfeeding women and children. In addition to folic acid, pregnant mothers must ensure that they obtain sufficient amount of iodine, which the foetus needs for healthy brain development. Low thyroid hormone levels in babies will slow down their growth and development, and in severe cases, it will cause cretinism. Vegetarians and iodine intake The main sources of iodine originate from the ocean through seafood and seaweed. For example, kelp, nori, kombu and wakame are all reliable sources of iodine. For me, I have a sensitive sense of taste and smell, and I find it hard to palate the fishy smell of seafood. Personally, I am not fond of this type of food so I do not get iodine through seaweed.