Iodine Status During Pregnancy and Its Effect on Infant Development.
Condition: Diet; Neurodevelopment
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      The overall aim of the present project is to investigate if intake of cod in pregnancy has
      impact on infant development up to 12 month. 142 pregnant women will be allocated into two
      groups, one counsuming cod two times the week for four months and one group will continue to
      follow their habitual diet. To study this, urine samples, dietary data and blood samples from
      the mother and from the infant, as well as data on neurodevelopment and cognitive functioning
      will be collected at several time points.
    

Detailed description: 
      The World Health Organization considers iodine deficiency to be "the single most important
      preventable cause of brain damage" worldwide. The effect of severe iodine deficiency is well
      documented. Pregnant and nursing mothers have increased requirements and are thus a
      vulnerable group. Iodine is a key component of thyroid hormones that are critical for normal
      development of the brain and nervous system in utero. There is little data on the effect of
      mild- and moderate iodine deficiency. Results from the Norwegian Mother and Child cohort (n =
      about 62,000) shows that only 22% of the participants had an iodine intake, estimated from
      food frequency questionnaire, that meets the recommendations of WHO / UNICEF / ICCIDD. Urine
      samples from a sub-sample (n = 119) confirmed suboptimal iodine status. The results are
      consistent with recent data from a NIFES study of about 100 women from the municipality of
      Fjell, which reviled suboptimal iodine status both in pregnancy and three months after birth.
      Preliminary results from the study Little in Norway, where NIFES measured the iodine status
      in approximately 1,000 pregnant from across the country, is also consistent with these
      investigations. Dairy products is highlighted as the main source of iodine for the
      participants in the Norwegian Mother and Child cohort, while lean fish is the food group that
      has the highest Iodine levels. In this article, the positive effect of seafood was explained
      by the fatty acids EPA and DHA, while the latest publication suggests that the effect of an
      adequate intake of seafood during pregnancy are more complex, and that the high iodine levels
      in seafood may also be important. Based on this knowledge, there is a need for an
      intervention study where pregnant consume cod regularly over a longer period and where the
      children are followed up over time. Thus, in the present project the researchers will
      investigate if intake of cod in pregnancy has impact on infant development up to 12 month.
      142 pregnant women will be allocated into two groups, one consuming cod two times the week
      for four months and one group will eat as normal. Urine samples, dietary data and blood
      samples from the mother and from the infant, as well as data on neurodevelopment and
      cognitive functioning will be collected at several time points.
    

Intervention name(s): Intervention group; Control group
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): The overall aim of the present project is to investigate if intake of cod in pregnancy has impact on infant development up to 12 month.; The overall aim of the present project is to investigate if intake of cod in pregnancy has impact on infant development up to 12 month.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Prevention