Thyroid Disorders and Iodine Intake in Adult Females Attending Diabetes and Endocrine Center at Buraidah in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Introduction: Iodine is a crucial dietary component as it cannot be stored in the human body. It is naturally present in certain foods like seafood and can also be artificially added, such as in iodized salt. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a daily iodine intake of 150 μg for adults.
Objective: This study aims to examine variations in dietary iodine consumption among adult females with thyroid disorders who are receiving care at the Diabetes and Endocrine Center in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia.
Methods:A cross-sectional study. This study had 331 female participants diagnosed with thyroid disorders (18-60 years old) were chosen randomly from Diabetes and Endocrine Center at Buraidah. Demographic questionnaire and I-FFQ were distributed online among the sample. All data were entered and analyzed through SPSS program version 26. The iodine intake is distributed into insufficient (≤99 µg/day), adequate (100-199 µg/day), above requirements (200-299 µg/day), and excessive (≥300 µg/day) groups.
Results and Conclusion: The average age of participants was 40.79 years, and their mean iodine intake was 216.47 µg/day. The main contributor to iodine intake was iodized salt, which accounted for 100.32 µg/day. Mean iodine intake varied among thyroid disorders: 210.65 µg/day in hypothyroidism, 244.98 µg/day in hyperthyroidism, 269.82 µg/day in thyroid nodules, and 195.37 µg/day in thyroid tumors. There were no statistically significant differences in iodine intake across the various thyroid conditions (p<0.05). The population should be educated about the adverse health effects of increased daily iodine intake exceeding daily iodine requirement (100-199µg/d) especially among thyroid disorders’ population. Future cohort studies should be conducted to further understand the effects of different iodine intake on possible alterations in thyroid function during different life stages. Future studies should be conducted to reach a new recommendation for iodized salt intake among thyroid disorders’ population to reduce further health complications.