Assessment of iodine levels in the Pakistani diet

To prevent iodine-related diseases in Pakistan, baseline analytical data for nutritionally and radiologically important elements in typical Pakistani diets were generated.

Iodine concentrations of representative Pakistani diets were measured by using epithermal and radiochemical neutron activation analyses.

The measured iodine values ranged from 26.56 to 239.48 ng/g (dry weight). The geometric mean by geometric standard deviation of the iodine concentration was 67.6 ng/g x 1.8, which equates to a daily iodine intake of 40.0 microg/d x 1.8.

The iodine content of the Pakistani diet is significantly lower than the intakes recommended by the U.S. Food and Nutrition Board (150 microg/d) and the International Commission of Radiological Protection Board (200 microg/d). The iodine intake of the Pakistani population needs to be improved substantially.