Young women and iodine deficiency – can awareness make a difference?

“I knew nothing about iodine before, but now I understand how important it is – both for my own health and for optimal fetal development. My husband and I have started talking about having children, so I’m very grateful to have received this information. Now I’m conscious of making sure I get enough iodine,” says Malin Hegenscheidt Ørum. 

The student is one of around 240 Norwegian participants in a study which aims to raise awareness of iodine among young women.

The study is part of a large international, EU-funded research project investigating women’s knowledge of diet and nutrition, with iodine as the main focus.

Does more knowledge lead to higher intake?

“We want to investigate whether targeted information improves young women’s knowledge about the importance of iodine and its dietary sources. We also aim to examine whether increased knowledge leads young women to make more conscious dietary choices to increase their iodine intake,” says nutrition researcher Lisbeth Dahl.

Together with researcher Synnøve Næss Sleire, Dahl is responsible for the Norwegian part of the study.

Young women doesn’t get enough iodine

Many women – both in Norway and in other countries – do not get enough iodine. Previous studies also show that knowledge about iodine is low.

“This is alarming for several reasons. Iodine is essential for the body’s production of thyroid hormones. These hormones are particularly important for the growth and development of the brain and nervous system in fetuses,” Dahl explains.

Pregnant and breastfeeding women are especially vulnerable to iodine deficiency. This is because iodine from the mother is transferred to the fetus during pregnancy, and iodine in breastfeeding women is excreted in breast milk.

“This is also the reason why we recruited young women aged 18–24. The age at first childbirth in Norway is significantly higher. For us, it is important to increase young women’s knowledge and to reach them with information about iodine before a possible pregnancy,” says Dahl.
 

Conducted in six countries

Participants in the project were divided into two groups. Half received education about iodine in a twenty-minute session, along with an iodine fact sheet and an “iodine cookbook.”

The other half served as a control group and received no education or information about iodine.

Similar studies are carried out in Bangladesh, England, Northern Ireland, Pakistan and Poland.

All participants answered questionnaires and provided urine samples at baseline, after 2–4 weeks, and after 6–8 months. The analyses will show whether increased knowledge about iodine also leads to more conscious food choices and increased intake of iodine-rich foods or iodine containing supplements.

Positive signs

The scientific results will not be available until 2026, but conversations with some of the participants provide an indication.

Nursing student Eliane Sandal says she now knows much more about iodine than before and actively tries to make more conscious choices.

“For example, I eat more oat porridge, based on milk. Otherwise, I readily admit that some of the information can easily slip my mind – such as what the daily iodine requirement actually is,” she says.

(For the record: The recommended daily intake is 150 micrograms of iodine for adults and 200 micrograms for pregnant and breastfeeding women.)

Passing the information on

Hanna Moen Norheim, also a nursing student, has taken on the role of an iodine advocate after participating in the study.

“I remind my friends how important iodine is – especially for women – and what they can eat to get enough iodine,” she says.

Ørum – whom you met at the beginning of the article – praises the iodine cookbook:

“Eggs contain iodine, and now I’ve finally learned how to make a proper omelet.”

Poor iodine status concerns the authorities

Nutrition researcher Dahl emphasizes that it is not only young women who need to pay attention to iodine intake.

“We see that women who have had too low iodine levels throughout life can also face challenges with thyroid function and hormonal imbalance later in adulthood,” she says.

The authorities are also concerned about iodine levels in the population and launched an “iodine fortification program” in June. This program encourages the baking industry and producers of table salt to use iodized salt in their products.

The limit for how much iodine can be added to salt has also been increased from 5 micrograms per kilogram to 20 micrograms per kilogram.

Eat more fish!

“Otherwise, it cannot be repeated often enough that white fish and dairy products are excellent sources of iodine, and both young women and others should eat more of these,” says Dahl.

In conclusion, she also offers advice to those with a plant-based diet:

“A plant-based diet is generally low in iodine. So, if you drink plant-based beverages – what are often called ‘plant milks’ – it is wise to choose brands fortified with iodine. You may also want to consider whether you need an iodine containing supplement.”