Iodine intake and metabolism in Pregnant women.
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Iodine intake and metabolism in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy: a proof of principle study from North West England.
IRAS ID
114710
Contact name
Chris Chaloner
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Central Manchester University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Research summary
Sufficient maternal iodine intake is critical for fetal and infant development during pregnancy, as it is a key nutrient in thyroid hormone production. Indeed, iodine deficiency is the commonest cause worldwide of intellectual impairment. Whilst of obvious concern in the developing world, there is now growing interest in iodine deficiency in the developed world, with other high income countries such as Australia and the US recommending iodine supplementation to pregnant women. There is also evidence of an increasing prevalence of Iodine deficiency in the UK population. Despite this, there are very few high quality studies of iodine status among pregnant women in the UK and, in particular, metabolism of iodine in pregnancy is poorly understood. In particular, most of the data pertaining to what constitutes a ‘normal’ iodine level relates to non-pregnant individuals. Most studies use an arbitrary cut-off for urinary iodine-to-creatinine ratio to define iodine deficiency but none of this work has been studied in pregnant women. There is therefore an urgent need to investigate iodine deficiency in pregnant women. This study aims to:
1. To set up and validate a new method of measuring iodine in urine
2. To compare data from the present study in women in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy with data from previous studies
3. To compare random urinary iodine and urinary iodine to creatinine ratios with 24h urinary iodine in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy.
4. To assess functional markers of iodine in blood at week 12 to 14 and week 36-40 of pregnancy. Markers will include measures of thyroid function (a key use for iodine), transport proteins and other markers of health and nutrition.
5. To explore correlations with baby’s thyroid function soon after birth, using the routinely collected neonatal blood spots.
This mechanistic study will pave the way to studies of iodine supplementation during pregnancy.REC name
London - Riverside Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
13/LO/1496
Date of REC Opinion
13 Sep 2013
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion