TSH Mediated the Effect of Iodized Salt on Child Cognition in a Randomized Clinical Trial.

This study examines the hormonal mediators of the effect of iodized salt in pregnancy on child cognition. Sixty districts across 6 zones in the Amhara region of Ethiopia were randomly allocated to a control or intervention arm of early market access to iodized salt. Twenty-two villages per arm were randomly selected for this sub-study. A total of 1220 pregnant women who conceived after the intervention began were enrolled and assessed for their iodine and iron status. Data were collected once on the household socio-demographic status and iodized salt use, and maternal urinary iodine during pregnancy. Then, infants' diet, urinary iodine level, cognitive development (Bayley III), serum hormonal levels, iron status, and inflammation markers were measured between 2 and 13 months of age. The median maternal urinary iodine concentration was adequate and significantly higher in the intervention mothers than that of the controls (163 vs 121 µg/L, TSH partially mediated the effect of the iodized salt intervention on child cognition.

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Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.