Insufficient iodine during pregnancy can adversely affect neurological and psychological development, reducing a child’s IQ by eight to 10 points.

More broadly, widespread iodine deficiency can diminish the cognitive capital of entire nations, diminishing socio-economic progress, experts claim.

A global movement to add small amounts of iodine to edible salt has been successfully addressing the problem of iodine deficiency since the mid 1990s, protecting the developing brains of children worldwide.

However, research published on Thursday revealed more work is needed to tackle the issue, with 14% of babies born globally still at risk of preventable brain damage.

Over the past decade, the UN children’s agency, Unicef, has been working in tandem with the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (Gain) to tackle iodine deficiency.

Their joint report – Brighter futures: Protecting early brain development through salt iodisation – charts the impact of iodised salt in 13 countries.

“Iodised salt is a remarkable success story, but a further push is needed to complete the journey in tackling this scourge, which has affected mankind over decades and centuries,” said Roland Kupka, a senior adviser on nutrition with Unicef.

“The nutrients a child receives in the earliest years influence their brain development for life, and can make or break their chance of a prosperous future.”

The most critical period for a child’s development – and therefore for iodine intake – is the 1,000 days between conception and the age of two. Nutrition, along with protection, stimulating activities and early learning, shapes brain development for life during this spell.

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Most countries are at inherent risk of iodine deficiency because the mineral is unevenly distributed in soil and the environment. In many regions, soils are becoming increasingly depleted of iodine.

The geographical characteristics of a country determine how much iodine makes it into the food chain, but in most settings the addition of iodine to salt is required to protect against deficiency.

Nutritionists advise that salt intake should be limited to no more than five grams a day, and that all salt consumed should be iodised.

Iodised salt is now available to 86% of the world’s households, and is increasingly used in the food industry. However, challenges remain for many countries, particularly those with large numbers of small-scale salt producers.

“Countries where iodine deficiency is highly prevalent include Burundi, Mali, Madagascar, Mozambique, South Sudan, Sudan. These are all regions where a lot more work is needed,” said Kupa.

In eastern and southern Africa, iodised salt coverage is limited to 75%, leaving roughly 3.9 million newborns unprotected, the report found.

Coverage is better in south Asia, but the high number of births in the region means 4.3 million children remain at risk of reduced cognitive function.

Kupa said: “Our research indicates that 20 countries worldwide have iodine deficiency at a national level. They include a substantial number of European countries.

“Salt iodisation in many western European countries is not well implemented. Even in the UK, iodine deficiency among pregnant women has surfaced as a big problem.”

Milk is the main source of the mineral among the British population but, with milk consumption in decline, some groups are at increased risk of iodine deficiency.

While iodine can be found in grains, eggs and seafood, levels are variable and, in Britain, are insufficient to meet the needs of the population.

Greg Garrett, director of food policy at Gain, said: “Due to the collective efforts of governments, industry, civil society and others we are on the verge of being able to ensure sustainable iodine intakes for all children.

“But there is still much more to be done to end iodine deficiency and we hope others join our efforts to further scale up salt iodisation in the hardest to reach areas.”

The report recommends integrating salt iodisation into national plans to support child nutrition, aligning salt iodisation and salt reduction initiatives, and establishing surveillance systems to reach vulnerable populations.

The study also calls for stronger regulatory systems to enforce existing legislation on salt iodisation.

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Source: The Guardian

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The research follows anecdotal reports that players who head balls may be more prone to developing dementia later in life.

The Football Association says it will look at this area more closely.

Experts said recreational players were unlikely to incur problems.

Dawn Astle, the daughter of former England and West Brom striker Jeff Astle, who died aged 59 suffering from early onset dementia, said it was “obvious that it [his dementia] was linked to his footballing career”.

The inquest into his death in 2002 found that repeatedly heading heavy leather footballs had contributed to trauma to his brain.

Ms Astle told BBC Radio 5 Live: “At the coroner’s inquest, football tried to sweep his death under a carpet. They didn’t want to know, they didn’t want to think that football could be a killer and sadly, it is. It can be.”

She said her father was 55 and physically very fit when he went to the doctor, who diagnosed him with the early onset of dementia.

By the end he “didn’t even know he’d ever been a footballer”, she said, before adding: “Everything football ever gave him, football had taken away.”

Researchers from University College London and Cardiff University examined the brains of five people who had been professional footballers and one who had been a committed amateur throughout his life.

They had played football for an average of 26 years and all six went on to develop dementia in their 60s.

While performing post mortem examinations, scientists found signs of brain injury – called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in four cases.

CTE has been linked to memory loss, depression and dementia and has been seen in other contact sports.

Prof Huw Morris, of University College London, told the BBC: “When we examined their brains at autopsy we saw the sorts of changes that are seen in ex-boxers, the changes that are often associated with repeated brain injury which are known as CTE.

“So really for the first time in a series of players we have shown that there is evidence that head injury has occurred earlier in their life which presumably has some impact on them developing dementia.”

In the study, published in the journal Acta Neuropathologica, the report’s authors make it clear they were not analysing the risks of heading by children.

But the science is far from clear-cut.

Each brain also showed signs of Alzheimer’s disease and some had blood vessel changes that can also lead to dementia.

Researchers speculate that it was a combination of factors that contributed to dementia in these players.

But they acknowledge their research cannot definitively prove a link between football and dementia and are calling for larger studies to look at footballers’ long-term brain health.

Dr David Reynolds, at the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “The causes of dementia are complex and it is likely that the condition is caused by a combination of age, lifestyle and genetic factors.

“Further research is needed to shed light on how lifestyle factors such as playing sport may alter dementia risk, and how this sits in the context of the well-established benefits of being physically active.”

He added that for people who are recreational footballers, football injuries are unlikely to cause long-term problems and he pointed to expert advice that the benefit of exercise is likely to outweigh the risks.

A number of previous cases involving boxers and American footballers have suggested that repetitive blows can cause long-lasting and progressive brain damage.

But until now there have only been a few case reports of individual footballers with CTE in the UK and the extent of the issue is still unknown.

The Football Association welcomed the study and said research was particularly needed to find out whether degenerative brain disease is more common in ex-footballers.

Dr Charlotte Cowie, of the FA, added: “The FA is determined to support this research and is also committed to ensuring that any research process is independent, robust and thorough, so that when the results emerge, everyone in the game can be confident in its findings.”

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Source: BBC

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