Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
03:19

Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes

Published on: June 28, 2024

790

Maternal Iodine Status is Associated with Offspring Language Skills in Infancy and Toddlerhood

Maria Wik Markhus1, Lisbeth Dahl2, Vibeke Moe3

  • 1Institute of Marine Research, P.O box 1870 Nordnes, 5817 Bergen, Norway. maria.wik.markhus@hi.no.

Nutrients
|September 13, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Maternal iodine deficiency during pregnancy is linked to lower infant language development. Insufficient iodine intake, indicated by urinary iodine concentration (UIC) below 100 µg/L, was associated with reduced language skills up to 18 months.

Area of Science:

  • Maternal and child health
  • Nutritional science
  • Neurodevelopmental research

Background:

  • Iodine is crucial for thyroid hormone synthesis, essential for fetal brain development.
  • Inadequate iodine status during pregnancy can negatively impact neurodevelopment.
  • Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) is a key biomarker for assessing population iodine status.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between maternal iodine status during pregnancy and child neurodevelopment.
  • To assess neurodevelopmental outcomes at 6, 12, and 18 months of age.
  • To explore the role of maternal iodine intake and supplement use on infant development.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based cohort study in Norway (Little in Norway cohort) included 851 mother-child pairs.
  • Maternal urinary iodine concentration (UIC) measured pregnancy iodine status.
  • Child neurodevelopment assessed using Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (third edition).
  • Multivariable mixed models analyzed associations between UIC, supplement use, and developmental outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Median UIC was 78 µg/L, indicating insufficient iodine intake by WHO standards.
  • Lower UIC (<100 µg/L) was associated with reduced receptive (p=0.025) and expressive language skills (p=0.002).
  • No significant association found between low UIC and cognitive or motor skill development.
  • Maternal use of iodine-containing supplements was linked to lower gross motor skills (p=0.02), not beneficial effects.

Conclusions:

  • Insufficient maternal iodine intake during pregnancy, indicated by UIC <100 µg/L, is associated with impaired infant language development up to 18 months.
  • The findings highlight the importance of adequate iodine status for optimal neurodevelopment, particularly language skills.
  • Maternal iodine-containing supplement use did not demonstrate a positive association with developmental outcomes in this cohort.

Keywords:
BayleyICP-MScohortinfantsiodine statusiodine supplementationmild to moderate iodine deficiencyneurodevelopmentpregnancyurinary iodine concentration

More Related Videos

Generating a Reproducible Model of Mid-Gestational Maternal Immune Activation using PolyI:C to Study Susceptibility and Resilience in Offspring09:09

Generating a Reproducible Model of Mid-Gestational Maternal Immune Activation using PolyI:C to Study Susceptibility and Resilience in Offspring

Published on: August 17, 2022

2.3K
Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm06:35

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

35.4K

Related Concept Videos

Socioemotional Development during Infancy01:30

Socioemotional Development during Infancy

Socio-emotional development in infancy is primarily shaped by early emotional responses and social connections, with temperament playing a central role. Temperament refers to the consistent patterns in an individual's emotional and behavioral responses, observable even in infancy. By examining temperament, researchers can better understand an infant's unique ways of interacting with the world, influencing subsequent personality and socio-emotional growth.
Primary Temperament Types
492
Language01:16

Language

Language is a unique communication system that uses words and systematic rules to organize and transmit information. Unlike other forms of communication, which may involve postures, movements, odors, or vocalizations, language relies on symbols and grammar. This makes human communication distinct from that of other species, who also communicate but do not use language in the same way humans do.
Corballis and Suddendorf (2007) and Tomasello and Rakoczy (2003) highlight the role of language in...
918
Components of Language01:24

Components of Language

Language, whether spoken, signed, or written, consists of specific components: lexicon and grammar. The lexicon is the vocabulary of a language, comprising its words. Grammar is the set of rules used to convey meaning through the lexicon. For example, English grammar adds “-ed” to most verbs to indicate past tense. Words are formed by combining phonemes, which are the basic sound units of a language. Different languages have different sets of phonemes (e.g., “ah” vs.
821
Language Development01:22

Language Development

Children master language quickly and with relative ease, supported by both biological predisposition and reinforcement. B. F. Skinner (1957) proposed that language is learned through reinforcement, while Noam Chomsky (1965) argued that language acquisition mechanisms are biologically determined.
The critical period for language acquisition suggests that the ability to acquire language is at its peak early in life. As people age, this proficiency decreases. Language development begins very...
918
Language and Cognition01:27

Language and Cognition

Language serves as a bridge between ideas and communication, influencing how individuals perceive and interact with the world. Psychologists have long debated whether language shapes thought or vice versa. This discussion gained grip with Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf in the 1940s, who proposed that language determines thought, a concept known as linguistic determinism. They suggested that the vocabulary and structure of a language influence how its speakers think and perceive reality.
802
Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Fluorination and Iodination of Benzene01:13

Electrophilic Aromatic Substitution: Fluorination and Iodination of Benzene

Bromination and chlorination of aromatic rings by electrophilic aromatic substitution reactions are easily achieved, but fluorination and iodination are difficult to achieve. Fluorine is so reactive that its reaction with benzene is difficult to control, resulting in poor yields of monofluoroaromatic products. To address this, Selectfluor reagent is used as a fluorine source in which a fluorine atom is bonded to a positively charged nitrogen.
7.5K