Iodine in biology
The U.S. Institute of Medicine (IOM) updated Estimated Average Requirements (EARs) and Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for iodine in 2000. For people age 14 and up, the iodine RDA is 150 μg/day; the RDA for pregnant women is 220 μg/day and the RDA during lactation is 290 μg/day. For children 1–8 years, the RDA is 90 μg/day; for children 8–13 years, 130 μg/day. As a safety consideration, the IOM sets tolerable upper intake levels (ULs) for vitamins and minerals when evidence is sufficient. The UL for iodine for adults is 1,100 μg/day. This UL was assessed by analyzing the effect of supplementation on thyroid-stimulating hormone. Collectively, the EARs, RDAs, AIs and ULs are referred to as Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs).
Iodine deficiency
Following is a list of potential risk factors that may lead to iodine deficiency:Iodine accounts for 65% of the molecular weight of T4 and 59% of the T3. There is a total of 15–20 mg of iodine in the human body which is primarily concentrated in thyroid tissue and hormones, but 30% of iodine is distributed in other tissues, including mammary glands, eyes, gastric mucosa, choroid plexus, arterial walls, the cervix, and salivary glands. In the cells of these tissues, iodide enters directly by sodium-iodide symporter (NIS).