Iodine deficiency: No longer just a third-world issue, warns study

NEWS

The re-emergence of iodine deficiency in some industrialized countries has raised concerns over the public health implications and the need for fortification or supplementation programs.

COMMENT

We should not be misled by this news story into thinking that deficiencies of micronutrients other than iodine are rare. To the contrary, the primary cause of today’s most common chronic diseases, including various forms of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and others, is a chronic deficiency of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other specific nutrients.

Contrary to the claims made by our governments, even people eating so-called ‘good’ diets are prone to developing micronutrient deficiencies. We know this from independent studies conducted in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and many other countries, which show that the nutrient content of our food has fallen substantially over the past few decades.

Worse still, far from helping in this situation, many micronutrient supplement products are not based on scientific research. Instead they have a doubtful, or even harmful, effect. To learn about supplement comparison studies carried out by the Dr. Rath Research Institute, in which proper scientifically designed supplement combinations were compared with some of the cheaper products commonly available on the market, read the ‘Vitamins: Harm or Benefit’ feature on our website.