Choosing plant-based vegan alternatives over dairy in your diets could cost you up to one-fifth of iodine intake, according to a recent Lancet Planetary Health study conducted in the UK.
According to the Lancet study, people could reduce their estimated iodine intake by 9-21% by substituting plant-based alternatives for roughly one-third of their dairy consumption. Calcium and vitamin B2 and B12 consumption declined as well.
Researchers counted the number of people who were deficient in iodine before the switch and added that number to the total.
The production of thyroid hormones, which aid in the regulation of energy metabolism, requires iodine in the human body. When it comes to pregnant women, the hormones help the baby’s brain develop.
UK teenage girls were already short of iodine
In the UK alone, cow’s milk is one of the main sources of iodine, as there is no national requirement to add iodine to table salt. A regular source of iodine is lost by someone who has cow’s milk with breakfast every day if they switch to an oat, soya or almond drink that has not had iodine added.
The researchers began by looking at the diets recorded by more than 3,500 people in the UK. They then calculated how much iodine those same diets would provide if some of the milk, yoghurt and cheese were replaced with plant-based products available in UK shops.
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Researchers estimated that already 54 per cent of girls 14 to 18 years old were getting too little iodine on their normal diets. That increased to 65% when one-fifth to one-third of their dairy was replaced and 80% when all of it was replaced.
The partial switch raised the number for women ages 19 to 49 from 32% to 42%.
Added calcium and iodine are two separate checks
Authors of another survey, published in the British Journal of Nutrition, monitored sales of plant-based foods from 2020 to 2024 in UK supermarkets, made by manufacturers. By 2024, 88% of the non-organic plant milks studied had added calcium, and 48% had added iodine, up from 28% four years ago.
Here in Uzbekistan, a locally available Alpro almond drink contains calcium and several vitamins but no added iodine so far.
Read more: Uzbekistan extends zero import duties on dairy and other foods
Iodine gaps in Central Asia
Iodised salt has long been used as an iodine source in Central Asia’s landlocked countries. According to Uzbekistan’s 2017 national nutrition survey, pregnant women have low iodine levels. Those in households with enough iodine had adequate levels overall, but only 36% had salt that met the standard.
In Tajikistan, a 2021 survey discovered low iodine levels in children aged six months to four years. Only 13% of households had properly iodised salt.
Read more: USDA forecasts a decline in food insecurity in Uzbekistan
Meanwhile in Kyrgyzstan, a survey from that same year found adequate iodine levels among pregnant women in general, and 76% of households had adequate iodised salt.
