Iodine Deficieny

Iodine deficiency is a major threat to the health and development of the world, predominantly among toddlers and pregnant women in low-income countries. It is a significant public health problem in 130 countries and affects 740 million people. An estimated one-third of the world's population is currently susceptible to the risk of iodine deficiency. Iodine is a vital nutrient for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland, which regulates growth and metabolism. Iodine deficiency is the primary cause of preventable learning disabilities and brain damage, with it's most devastating impact on the brain of a developing fetus. Children born to iodine deficient mothers can suffer from cretinism (severe physical and mental retardation), speech defects, deafness and dwarfism. Iodine deficiency also increases the chance of abortions and stillbirth. A goiter, distinguished by a swelling at the front of the neck, is a prevalent symptom of iodine deficiency. A goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland, which swells in an effort to extract the little iodine that is in the blood. The least visible, but most pervasive, consequence of iodine deficiency is the loss of intellectual potential, children may lose between 10 and 15 intelligence quotient (IQ) points. Populations more prone to suffer from iodine deficiencies include those living in remote mountainous regions lacking common food sources of iodine such as fish or seaweed, and those in areas of frequent flooding where micronutrients are washed from the soil. The amount of iodine a person needs is quite small, in fact a person only needs to consume about one teaspoon full in a life time. The seemingly small requirement is often hard to ensure for two reasons. First, iodine does not stay in the body's system. The second problem is how to get iodine into the daily diets of people world wide.

The ideal solution would be to genetically modify foods. A great deal of what we eat does not naturally contain iodine. This is because soil is not iodine rich. So, plants that get their nutrients from the soil also are not iodine rich, in fact they contain so little iodine that they it is not enough to satisfy even the tiny daily amounts required. In turn, the animals that eat the plants don't get any iodine into their systems. So our fruits, vegetables and meat are not significant sources of iodine. Researchers say that the way to cure iodine deficiency is to put more iodine into the foods people already eat. Researchers, in conjunction with the International Food Policy Research Institute and the World Health Organization, are looking at the effects of putting human thyroid gland proteins into plants, specifically potatoes and rice. The proteins help the plants take in more iodine, ultimately making them a better source of iodine for humans. By giving the crops additional iodine gathering proteins they have been able to increase the iodine intake of the plants, making them a better source of iodine for the people who eat them. There are many problems with this solution; first, it would be impossible for every person in the world to get the right amount of iodine daily, second, there are many people who disagree with genetically modifying foods. Environmental activists, religious organizations, public interest groups, professional associations and other scientists and government officials have all raised concerns about genetically modifying foods, and criticized agribusiness for profiting without concern for potential hazards, and the government for failing to use adequate oversight. It seems that everyone has a strong opinion about genetically modifying foods. Even the Vatican and the Prince of Wales have expressed their opinions. Most concerns about genetically modifying foods fall into three categories; environmental hazards,