Iodine is one of the 16 essential minerals that our body needs to obtain from our food or supplementation to work at its best.

Iodine’s main role is optimising thyroid hormone production, which controls our metabolism and is involved in control of heart rate, body temperature, mood and growth.

Iodine is found mainly in animal proteins and sea vegetables, and to a lesser extent in fortified foods like breads, cereals, and dairy.

The daily requirement for adults is 150mcg however this jumps up to 220mcg in pregnancy and 270mcg for breastfeeding women.

The reason for this increase is that pregnancy and breastfeeding the mothers thyroid hormones play a crucial role in the development of the fetal brain and nervous system, especially during the first trimester of pregnancy and the first few months of life after birth.

Ideally we get all our essential vitamins and minerals from food sources, however in pregnancy/breastfeeding supplementation of 150mcg daily is recommended.

Why?

On top of the increased iodine requirements, during pregnancy there is potential suboptimal dietary intake due to morning sickness and food aversions. Also it is an unfortunate reality that a lot of the population aren’t getting enough iodine from their diet even before pregnancy.

So if you are trying to conceive, pregnant or breastfeeding make sure you’re supplementing with 150mcg iodine daily and for everyone else try be mindful of your diet to make sure you’re getting enough of amazing essential mineral in!

Please note if you have any thyroid dysfunction ensure you discuss your own iodine requirements with your GP/endocrinologist.