For want of a thing so simple (Iodized salt and third world birth defects)

The Hendorsonville Times-News ^ | December 6, 2008

[2ndDivisionVet]

We have so much and take it for granted, IMO.

[sionnsar]

then let's lend strong American support - to a worthwhile Canadian initiative.

[Fichori]

Aaaww c’mon, I like dumb terrorists!

[AnAmericanMother]

Well, one reason we have so much is American initiative and know-how.

The Great Lakes, for example, are a severely iodine-deficient region (so are the Smoky Mountains and the Pacific Northwest). But American doctors and nutritionists figured it out in the early 20th century and jumped right on it.

[Graybeard58]

An educated guess is that iodine deficiency results in a needless loss of more than 1 billion IQ points around the world.

What a crock of poopie. If I could meet the author of this I would ask him how he arrived at this number. My guess is that it's a rectal estimate and my estimate of 1,000,000,408 is just as good as his.

[DB]

We really need to get off this kick of knowing what is best for other people. We continually treat them like children and then wonder why they never rise above it. Their culture is the center of why they are like they are. No law, ruled by dictators, tribal and when they see someone else with something they think they have to right to it (i.e. socialism/communism). Until their culture changes, not much else will.

[2banana]

Pakistan spent billions of dollars to develop nuclear weapons...so why should I care that they didn't spend that money instead helping its own people?

[MarkeyD]

I think you were closer, off by 1

[MathDoc]

So, yes, salt iodization is boring. But if we can add 1 billion points to the global IQ, then let's lend strong American support - to a worthwhile Canadian initiative.

Just think what a little more iodine might have done for our country - if the entire United States had iodized salt, Obama couldn't possibly have been elected.

[ChildOfThe60s]

Smarter sheep?

[ChildOfThe60s]

Folic acid probably is right up there, too. Especially with pregnant women.

[Freedom4US]

I thought that was the Flouride.. ;)

Salt is important stuff, while scholars debate whether “salary” is derived from the root word of salt, there is little doubt it was an important trade item and used for settling debts or making “change”.

Goiter is nasty. There are probaby a hundred diseases, extremely nasty, that are (mostly) unknown in the US today because of hard work by scientists and researchers but are poised to make a comeback if we get stupid. And it sure looks that way.

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

Several micro nutrients are just amazingly important.

The American South had horrific incidence of pellagra, the niacin deficiency disease common among people who primarily eat corn or polished rice. The simple cure was to provide brewer’s yeast to children.

Folic acid can prevent spina bifida when given to expectant mothers.

Many American children have a vitamin D deficiency, which makes them more susceptible to common infectious diseases and contributes to depression in winter. Just 15 minutes skin exposure to the sun will give most people a huge dose, however.

Scury, vitamin C deficiency, while almost unheard of in the US anymore, still inflicts many parts of the world.

[littlehouse36]

We continually treat them like children and then wonder why they never rise above it.

Ping, ping, ping!

[lafroste]

A good friend of mine and his wife accidentally cut out all iodine from their diet due to a strict nutritional regimen. It nearly killed them before they figured out the problem. A couple of weeks of kelp pills and they were as good as new.

[rmlew]

Because they are cretins unable to make long term plans?

[MissDairyGoodnessVT]

makes me wonder about the Bill & Melissa Gates Foundation.

[2ndDivisionVet]

There are over 200 countries in the world, of which Pakistan is only one.

[CodeToad]

“Aaaww c’mon, I like dumb terrorists!”

ROTFLMAO!

[Cacique]

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