A senior Iranian health official highlighted the adverse impacts of iodine deficiency on the development of the brain in children “which can be rectified through adequate intake of iodine in the daily diet”. Professor Fereidoun Azizi, director of Endocrine and Metabolism Research Center at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, further told Iran Daily that iodine deficiency impedes the ability of children to learn.

Azizi called for the use of iodized salt, particularly among women to overcome the consequences of iodine deficiency.

“Iodine is abundant in diets that contain iodized salt. This is while iodized salt is absent in many foods. Some women who breastfeed their babies also refrain form using iodized salt while their milk must provide adequate iodine,” he said.