On the eve of World Iodine Day, health experts on Sunday flagged that India, like many developing nations, faces a significant public health challenge in the form of ‘hidden hunger,’ especially among growing children caused by deficiencies in crucial micronutrients such as iodine.

Others are iron, folic acid, vitamin A, and zinc, which can affect children's development. However, “ Iodine, in particular, is an essential micronutrient required for normal growth, thyroid function, and brain development,” they said.

Dr. Shikha Vardhan, Assistant Director General of the National Program for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases, emphasized the need for a policy that balances salt reduction with adequate iodine supplementation for better health outcomes.

She said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) is revising the National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Program guidelines to ensure optimal iodine nutrition.

Dr. Vardhan was speaking at a recent conference organised by Nutrition International, WHO India, Resolve to Save Lives, and Iodine Global Network, aimed to address the challenge of reducing salt intake while maintaining sufficient iodine nutrition.

Iodine is vital for producing thyroid hormones, which regulate metabolism and are crucial for fetal and infant development.

The WHO recommends that dietary salt consumption be limited to less than 5 grams (or 2 grams of sodium) per person per day. However, recent data indicates that salt intake in India is nearly double this recommendation, contributing to hypertension, which currently affects around 220 million people in the country.

Dr. Ashwini Anil Kumar Sirapanasetty, Obstetrics and Gynecology Surgeon, noted that iodine deficiency during pregnancy can result in severe neurodevelopmental deficits, growth retardation, miscarriage, and stillbirth.

Severe iodine deficiency can lead to cretinism, characterized by intellectual disability and physical and neurological abnormalities. Even less severe deficiencies in infants and children can result in lowered intelligence.

For instance, she said, in pregnant women, iodine deficiency of this magnitude can cause major neurodevelopmental deficits and growth retardation in the fetus as well as miscarriage and stillbirth.

Chronic, severe iodine deficiency in utero causes cretinism, a condition characterized by intellectual disability, deaf mutism, motor spasticity, stunted growth, delayed sexual maturation, and other physical and neurological abnormalities, added Dr Vaishali Sharma, Senior Consultant Gynecologist, Laparoscopic Surgeon, and Infertility Specialist.

Iodine is an essential component of the thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), which regulate metabolism and are crucial for fetal and infant development, as per a statement from the Health Ministry on Sunday.

Deepika Bhan, President, of Packaged Foods - India, Tata Consumer Products, added,  “At Tata Salt, we remain dedicated to providing iodized salt with the right amount of iodine to help address the challenges of iodine deficiency.”