Is there evidence about "Iodized salt carcinogenic"?

Recently, the "salt disease" has become the hot topics under discussion. Although the Ministry of Health to respond to, "thyroid cancer and salt iodization in the" lack of evidence to say, the public is still not feel safe. Well, so what's the relationship between iodine and thyroid whether it?

Essential trace elements in the human body, none of which, like iodine, like, with an organ called the thyroid gland so closely. As the body's largest endocrine organ, the thyroid can secrete thyroid hormone synthesis, which is the main raw material for iodine. A variety of thyroid hormone can regulate the body metabolism to maintain cell life activities; can promote infant growth and development, the lack of will lead to "cretinism" and mental retardation, excessive secretion would cause hyperthyroidism, commonly known as "hyperthyroidism."

It is interesting that iodine intake may affect the amount of thyroid hormone secretion. In other words, thyroid enough squeamish, too high or too low iodine, may cause abnormal thyroid function, iodine intake is too low will lead to iodine deficiency diseases, prevention of salt iodization is it; excessive iodine intake may be related to thyroid The increase in diseases related. (According to reader feedback, and find the relevant medical literature, the original sentence "excessive iodine intake can lead to increase in thyroid disease." Changed to "excessive iodine intake may be related to an increase in thyroid disease are related," a more cautious view of science )

Thyroid cancer can be divided into four kinds, the most common is papillary carcinoma and follicular thyroid cancer, the former accounting for 60%, was low-grade, common in young women, who account for about 20%, moderate, middle-aged multiple malignant . They relate to the relationship between iodine intake is also a medical profession a long-term hot-academic topic. Many countries have research on this, but geography, race, diet characteristics, the supply of iodized salt by factors such as differences in the results of the report is not entirely the same.

In 1977, the United Kingdom Williams, Welsh National School of Medicine physicians in Iceland and the United Kingdom Aberdeenshire done an investigation. The results showed that papillary carcinoma and follicular thyroid cancer incidence rates would be the impact of dietary iodine, iodine intake area more than papillary carcinoma occur. United States Northern California Thyroid Cancer Research Center, told the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995 -1998 years, suffering from thyroid cancer in women in an investigation. Results On the contrary, iodine intake increased, with the incidence of papillary thyroid cancer risk reduction associated with.

The study did not fully answer whether the amount of iodine intake affect the incidence of thyroid cancer. In August of this year, "hormone" magazine published an overview. By a detailed review of the past 30 years worldwide on the relationship between iodine and thyroid cancer by the study. He pointed out that, according to the current outcome, an iodine deficiency region the occurrence of follicular cancer, high risk, high iodine intake area higher the risk of papillary carcinoma. Note that this only that specific subtypes of thyroid cancer, the ratio changes, such as iodine intake increases the incidence of papillary carcinoma will be a marked increase in the incidence of follicular cancer would be reduced.

Of course, this result does not mean that excessive intake of iodine can cause papillary carcinoma, follicular thyroid cancer, had as little cause. The relationship between them remains to be further studied. Smith concluded that the incidence of thyroid diseases around the world continue to rise, is an indisputable fact, but there is no sufficient evidence to prove that iodine intake may affect the incidence of thyroid cancer.

In China, iodine and thyroid disease research, the most famous experts in course ought to Teng Weiping, China Medical University, Professor. In 2006, its leadership team published a study on the Liaoning winding (mild iodine deficiency), Liaoning Zhangwu (super-sufficient quantities of iodine) and the Hebei Huanghua (iodine excess) a total of 3761 residents, conducted a five-year epidemiological investigations. It was found that super-sufficient quantities of iodine and iodine excess could induce and promote hypothyroidism and autoimmune thyroiditis the occurrence and development. He further pointed out that the high incidence of thyroid cancer in iodine regional phenomenon worthy of further study.

We have to eat do not eat iodized salt in the end? In Europe, the issue of whether the consumption of iodized salt in most countries people with their own right to choose. For people in Taiwan, it is imperative to increase non-iodized salt or the market supply and distribution points, so that people have a right to choose. No definitive answers for the "salt disease", said to proceed with organizing a large-scale epidemiological surveys and prospective studies, and perhaps give us a clearer answer.