Volume 87, Issue 1, January (2002), pp. 61-69 © The Author 2002
doi:10.1079/BJN2001474

Medline/PubMed Citation | Related Articles in PubMed | Download to Citation Matcher  

Dietary iodine intake and urinary iodine excretion in a Danish population: effect of geography, supplements and food choice

Lone B. Rasmussen¹*, Lars Ovesen¹, Inge Bülow², Torben Jørgensen³, Nils Knudsen^3,4, Peter Laurberg² and Hans Perrild^4
1Institute of Food Research and Nutrition, Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Mørkhøj Bygade 19, DK-2860 Søborg, Denmark
²Department of Endocrinology, Aalborg Hospital, 9100, Aalborg, Denmark
³Centre for Preventive Medicine, Glostrup Hospital, 2600, Glostrup, Denmark
⁴Department of Internal Medicine I, Bispebjerg Hospital, 2400, Copenhagen NV, Denmark

 (Received 9 April 2001–Revised 27 July 2001–Accepted 25 August 2001)

I deficiency diseases remain a health problem even in some developed countries. Therefore, measurement of I intake and knowledge about food choice related to I intake is important. We examined I intake in 4649 randomly selected participants from two cities in Denmark (Copenhagen and Aalborg) with an expected difference in I intake. I intake was assessed both by a food frequency questionnaire and by measuring I in casual urine samples. I excretion was expressed as a concentration and as estimated 24-h I excretion. Further, subgroups with low I intake were recognized. I intake was lower in Aalborg than in Copenhagen for all expressions, and lower than recommended in both cities if I intake from supplements was not included. Milk was the most important I source, accounting for about 44 % of the I intake, and milk (P<0·001) and fish (P=0·009) intake was related to I excretion in a multiple linear regression model. Thus, risk groups for low I intake were individuals with a low milk intake, those with a low intake of fish and milk, those not taking I supplements and those living in Aalborg where the I content in drinking water is lower. Even individuals who followed the advice regarding intake of 200–300 g fish/week and 0·5 litres milk/d had an intake below the recommended level if living in Aalborg.

Keywords:
Iodine intake: Iodine excretion: Risk for low iodine intake