Kontakt 2007, 9(1):172-178 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2007.024

Current condition of supplying the Czech population with iodineBiomedicine

Kvetoslava Kotrbová^1,2,3, Markéta Kastnerová^1,2,*

¹ Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích, Zdravotně sociální fakulta, katedra veřejného a sociálního zdravotnictví

² Krajská hygienická stanice Jihočeského kraje se sídlem v Českých Budějovicích

³ Kontaktní a doléčovací centrum pro drogovou závislost, o. s., Háječek, České Budějovice

Iodine is a trace element, whose principal function in the human body is its participation in the production of thyroid hormones triiodthyronine and thyroxine. Thyroid hormones affect and regulate the basal metabolism intensity in a decisive manner. Iodine insufficiency can result in decreased secretion of thyroid hormones, hypothyreosis, which is a source of numerous health problems. The manifestation of the iodine insufficiency is endemic struma - thyroid gland hypertrophy. In contrast to this, iodine excess leads to an elevated secretion of thyroid hormones, hyperthyreosis. This can result in a development of autoimmunity thyreopathies. Our country has long belonged to regions with very low contents of iodine in the soil. Thus, under our conditions, the main sources of the iodine are the sea fish and further sea animals and, to a lesser extent, the eggs and milk. Based on a suggestion by prof. Françoise Délange, an inter-sector commission organizes every year the Day of Iodine in the Czech Republic on March 6th, which is a promoting campaign for the wide public. The day of iodine should remind the wide lay and professional public the importance of the presence of iodine in the food for the human health. The Czech Republic, in spite of having lack of natural iodine sources, successfully solved the problem of the iodine deficiency thanks to the intensive activity of the inter-sector commission for the solution of the iodine deficiency in cooperation with health professionals, with members of the state administration and with undertaking sectors. The prevention of the iodine insufficiency is one of targets of the long-term program of improving the health of the population "Health 21". Experience from countries, in which the iodine deficiency was also successfully faced, demonstrates in agreement with our experience that the global success does not hold for the whole population. There are groups of persons, who are ever more threatened by the iodine deficiency. In contrast, in certain groups of the population, there is an excess saturation with iodine. In the next period, we should more closely consider the optimisation of the iodine contents in food of animal origin, particularly in the milk, and at the education and provisions concerning meaningful use of nutritional supplements in the diet of humans and animals.

Keywords: Iodine; Day of Iodine; iodine deficiency

Received: February 22, 2007; Accepted: May 3, 2007; Published: June 15, 2007  Show citation