IODINE CONTENT IN SOME NIGERIAN FOODS

Iodine aids thyroid hormone. Its deficiency causes goiter, poor growth in infancy, infertility and other forms of iodine deficiency disorders. Considering the importance of iodine in the development of human being, it is important to source for foods of reasonable iodine content. To this end, iodine value of some selected Nigerian foods has been determined using standard method to know the extent of their possible contributions to iodine intake. Foods values on a dry weight basis (µkg^-1) were: fish group (155-144); legume group (2.54-15.23); meat group (123); cereal group (5.08-16.49); root and tuber group (6.35-10-15); vegetable and spices group (5.08-82.74) and fruits and masticatories group (2.54-27.92). The foods were calculated to provide between 1.7 and 69µg of RDA. In areas, where cassava and cassava products are the main sources of food, this could lead to increased serum thiocyanate, a lower iodine intake, and hence goiter.