The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), Washington, D.C., released new guidelines for dietary supplement manufacturers that suggest all multivitamin/mineral supplements intended for pregnant and lactating women in the U.S. include a daily serving of at least 150 mcg of iodine.
 
CRN developed these guidelines in response to recommendations from authoritative medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Endocrine Society and the American Thyroid Association, which indicate pregnant and lactating women should receive this amount of iodine daily.     
 
“Scientific evidence shows that, similar to folic acid, adequate iodine is critical early in pregnancy when the fetal brain is growing rapidly,” said Duffy MacKay, N.D., senior vice-president, scientific and regulatory affairs, CRN. “Currently, many U.S. women of childbearing age get insufficient dietary iodine, putting their children at risk for decreased cognitive function. CRN’s guidelines call on manufacturers of multivitamin/mineral supplements for pregnant and lactating women in the U.S. to provide the scientifically-backed amount of iodine that this population needs.”
 
According to CRN’s guidelines, any safe and suitable iodine-containing dietary ingredient may be used as the source of iodine when used in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) regulations for dietary supplements, which will ensure that the product consistently meets label claims.
 
“We commend the Council for Responsible Nutrition for stressing the importance of iodine for pregnant and lactating women in order to ensure normal brain development of the fetus and baby,” said Robert C. Smallridge, M.D., president, American Thyroid Association.  “Our association strongly concurs that pregnant and lactating women should get 150 mcg of iodine daily from their multivitamin/mineral supplement.”  
           
CRN’s recommended guidelines, “Iodine Quantity in Multivitamin/Mineral Supplements
for Pregnancy and Lactation,” are available on the association’s website. CRN recommends that dietary supplement companies comply within twelve months.
 
CRN’s iodine guidelines are the latest in a series of proactive, science-based guidelines that the association has developed as part of its self-regulatory initiatives. CRN also has recommended guidelines for caffeine-containing dietary supplements and for labeling of protein in dietary supplements and functional food, as well as best practices for enzyme dietary supplement products and safety considerations for dosage recommendations and labeling.