Iodine intake in the adult population. Di@bet.es study

Abstract

Background & aims: To date no nation-wide study has yet been undertaken in Spain to estimate the iodine deficiency. The aim was to evaluate iodine intake and its conditioning factors in a representative sample of the whole adult population.

Methods: The Di@bet.es Study is a national, cross-sectional, population-based survey conducted in 2009-2010 in Spain.

Results: The median urinary iodine (UI) was 117.2 μg/L. Iodized salt (IS) was consumed by 43.9% of the population. The median UI in those who consumed IS and in those who did not consume IS was 131.1 and 110.8 μg/L respectively (p<0.0001). The likelihood of having UI levels above 100 μg/L was significantly associated with the intake of IS (OR=1.47) and milk at least once a day (OR=1.22). Within each individual autonomous communities, the median UI levels in those who consumed IS correlated significantly with the median levels of those who did not consume IS (r=0.76, p=0.001).

Conclusions: Though strictly speaking, Spain should be considered within the category of a country having an adequate iodine intake, the current value is too close to the cut point and does not guarantee that those groups with a greater need for iodine will have the required intake of iodine.