Looking at it absently on the shelves of the supermarket, one might think that iodized salt is a sort of sophisticated variant of common salt, one of those food fashions born to intercept the attention of consumers most attentive to health and to seduce the most sensitive to the novelties of the market.
In this case, the question is different, given that iodized salt has nothing to do with the marketing of the “superfood”: it is a functional food that responds to a real need for public health. It is not a special product, in terms of rarity or “exclusivity” – often these conditions affect heavily on the final price – but indeed it is an accessible, regulated, useful product and even indispensable.
What is, in practice, iodized salt
The iodate salt is simply kitchen salt – sodium chloride – to which a mixture containing iodine is added, usually potassium iodide or potassium ioded. The quantity is established by law and calibrated to provide a sufficient contribution of iodine without health risks. In Italy, the legislation provides for an addition of iodine equal to about 30 mg per kilo of salt.
The aspect, flavor and consistency of iodine salt are identical to those of normal salt. The only real difference lies in its function: to contribute to the daily hiring of iodine, a fundamental micronutrient for the correct functioning of the thyroid.
What iodine is for
Iodine is an essential element for the synthesis of thyroid hormones – thyroxine (T4) and triiodotironine (T3) – which regulate many functions of the body: from basal metabolism to brain development, from thermoregulation to heartbeat. A deficiency can cause disorders of various severity, especially in vulnerable subjects such as children, pregnant women and the elderly.
Among the best known consequences are endemic goiter – the enlargement of the thyroid – and cretinism, a severe neurological syndrome due to iodic deficiency during pregnancy. There are also milder disorders, such as fatigue, difficulty concentration, slowdown in metabolism and growth problems in children, which can be connected to an inadequate intake of iodine.
Why is Iodius to the salt?
The strategy of IDODOPROFILASSI – or the controlled addition of iodine to salt – is recognized by the World Health Organization as the simplest, effective and economic method to prevent large -scale iodic deficiency disorders. In fact, cooking salt is an ingredient consumed daily in all the population bands, regardless of age, income and eating habits.
In Italy, Law 55 of 2005 introduced the obligation for producers to put iodine salt on the market next to the common one, so as to guarantee the possibility of choice to consumers. However, according to the data of the Ministry of Health, about 40% of Italians continue not to usually use iodine salt, often for disinformation or for simple habit.
It is not a “special” salt, but a prevention tool
To think that iodized salt is a product from “subjects to diet” or “health as a health” is an error of perspective. It is not an alternative and optional ingredient, but of a public health tool designed to guarantee everyone an adequate iodine contribution through a daily gesture: to salt food.
It does not contain neither more sodium nor less calories, it has no healing properties, it is no longer expensive. It is simply a enriched product, like the milk added with vitamin D or fortified flour with iron. And as with any functional food, the value lies in the benefits it brings to the body.
Is iodine only found in salt?
The iodine is also present in nature, especially in some foods: sea fish, crustaceans, algae, eggs and dairy products. The fact is that the quantities vary a lot and the diet does not always manage to cover the daily needs, which for an adult is around 150 micrograms per day. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, the needs significantly increases.
For those who follow a vegan diet, poor fish or animal products in general, the use of iodized salt is even more important. Mineral waters can also contain iodine, but in not sufficient quantities to compensate for any deficiencies.
The risk of taking too much?
As with each nutritional element, there is also a tolerance threshold for iodine, beyond which adverse effects can occur. It must be said that the margins are large and the levels present in ioded salt are well below the safety limit.
To assume an excessive amount of iodine only through salt, it would be necessary to consume their disproportionate quantities, well beyond the recommended limits also for the sodium itself. To keep in mind: avoid the combined and unaware use of iodine supplements and iodized salt, unless it has been indicated by the doctor.
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