Since seaweed is a common component of the Japanese diet, iodine intake in Japanese is expected to be high. However, urinary iodine excretion, measured using 24-hour urine samples, and its dietary determinants are not known.

Iodine is a vital micronutrient required at all stages of life; fetal life and early childhood being the most critical phases of requirement. Diet is the sole source of iodine, which in turn is dependent upon the iodine content of water and soil. Iodine is metabolized in the human body through a series of stages involving the hypothalamus, pituitary, thyroid gland and blood. Recent advances in physiology and molecular science have revolutionized our understanding of iodine metabolism at the cellular and sub-cellular level. This in turn has improved our knowledge of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD), their prevention, management and control. This article makes an attempt to revisit this important topic in light of recent advances and provides a comprehensive account of the subject.

When you don’t get enough sleep, you may be more vulnerable to mood swings, irritability, and even anger. You might find that you are constantly in a bad mood, and don’t even know why.

Each night when you go to sleep, your body and mind goes through a lot of changes. Each sleep cycle change occurs during a different stage of sleep.

Iodine deficiency is one of the causes of goiter (hypertrophy of the thyroid gland as it tries to make more thyroid hormone in the absence of iodine). Physically, goiter appears as an abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland in the neck. Other causes of goiter include autoimmune thyroiditis, excess iodine, other hormonal disorders, radiation exposure, infectious causes, or