A scourge that damages babies’ brains is coming back
Yet iodine deficiency is startlingly easy to prevent
Without iodine, the thyroid gland cannot produce hormones that enable the human body and the brain to develop properly. The visible consequences of iodine deficiency, such as goitres (swellings in the neck), are bad enough. The invisible ones are much worse: it can cause a 15-point drop in IQ.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “An avoidable threat to babies’ brains”
From the November 9th 2024 edition
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