Writing in the June 10 New England Journal of Medicine, members of the American Thyroid Association, including ICCIDD board member Elizabeth Pearce, affirmed that "Iodized salt is an important source of dietary iodine in the U.S. and worldwide. Iodine, essential for the synthesis of thyroid hormones, is obtained solely through diet," and warned that "Americans' iodine levels have decreased 50 percent over the past three decades." They called on "commercial food manufacturers" to begin the use of iodized salt. Bloomberg Businessweek has the full story.

Overall, Americans still receive sufficient iodine, but research suggests that many pregnant women may be iodine-deficient. Iodine is essential for proper synthesis of thyroid hormones, which are critical to normal infant brain development and to prevent neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral problems.