An article in the Medical Journal of Australia reports that a study of 86 pregnant women found that use of iodized salt in bread, mandated by regulation, is insufficient and, in fact, has had no appreciable benefit for pregnant women. The researchers recommend use of supplements.

The study, done in Gippsland, found that 72% of both pregnant women and schoolchildren were iodine deficient.

Half the women in the study were found to be taking supplements even though only two-thirds of them had heard about the importance of iodine in their diets.