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Article: Medicine: Iodine Found to Help Mental Growth
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- January 2, 1995
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Iodine treatments are effective at preventing childhood mental
retardation when women receive them during their first six months of
pregnancy, according to a study of nearly 1,000 women and children
conducted in China.
The research, published in the Dec. 29 issue of The New England
Journal of Medicine, was designed to resolve the question of when
iodine supplements are effective. Iodine deficiency is regarded as
the world's leading cause of preventable mental defects.
A team led by Cao Xue-Yi of the Xinjiang Anti-Epidemic and Health
Station in Urumchi, China, gave iodine supplements to nearly 1,000
people in eight villages where iodine levels are extremely low and
the rate of cretinism high. ...