Re: Iodine Loading Test Study Published in the Townsend Letter

I cannot debate the fine points of testing as I am not a scientist, but I can point out a disparity in perception of sufficient Iodine intake. From your article:

"In comparison, de Benoist et al. report that 89% of the general American population have sufficient Iodine intake based on the World Health Organization Global Database on Iodine Deficiency.8"

the source cited is from 2007

And, from a more recent article(2012):

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/243815.php


"Young American women of childbearing age have borderline levels of iodine, that is only just above what would be regarded as iodine deficiency, according to a new report released this week by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

This age group (20 to 39 years of age) also had the lowest iodine levels of any age group of women, according to the CDC's Second National Report on Biochemical Indicators of Diet and Nutrition.

Iodine is an essential nutrient that the body needs for healthy functioning of the thyroid, whose hormones help regulate growth and development.

Women of childbearing age need a good supply of iodine for the healthy development of the fetus during pregnancy.

Insufficient iodine leads to mental retardation, goiter (swelling in the thyroid gland), cretinism (stunted physical and mental growth), hypothyroidism (insufficient thyroid hormone) and other growth and development disorders."