Iodine status in children

Iodine deficiency is still considered to be a leading cause of preventable brain damage worldwide. The number of studies showing that even mild iodine deficiency may have a relevant impact on cognitive function in school aged children is increasing. A sustainable ensurance of an adequate iodine nutrition in the population therefore is of particular importance. One of the major dietary sources of iodine is iodized salt. However, in Germany the use of iodised salt for industrially processed foods appeared to decline during the last years. In how far this trend already negatively affected iodine status of the population has not been investigated so far. The aim of the present thesis was to analyse the current development of iodine status of German children, to characterize the most important dietary iodine providers and to gain a deeper understanding of the physiological associations between iodine intake and thyroid health. Databases for four consecutively conducted studies were the prospective Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed (DONALD) Study and the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS).