IoGeneration – Iodine status in Portugal: role of supplementation in school units

IoGeneration – Iodine Status in Portugal: the role of supplementation in school units, is a project that aims to quantify ioduria in children in the 1st cycle of basic education and iodine levels in the salt used in schools and at home, as well as training food service professionals on the use of iodized salt and informing the community about the role of iodine in food, emphasizing its role in neurodevelopment.

Funded by ACSS/EEA Grants in about 434 thousand euros, of which 369 thousand were allocated to CINTESIS, this project is part of the need to prioritize this theme and recommend the universal iodization of salt, following the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO).
With Conceição Calhau, from CINTESIS, as principal investigator, IoGeneration also aims to monitor and evaluate the impact of the policies defined in Portugal in this area.

Iodine synthesis is essential for thyroid hormones and these are crucial for neurodevelopment. Inadequate levels of iodine in the diet lead to a strong and decisive cognitive impairment, constituting a serious public health problem.

The WHO has been prioritizing iodine since l993, recommending universal iodization of salt so that it can reach the entire population, which is not yet the case in Portugal. Recently, the binding guidelines for the use of iodized salt in school cafeterias (011/2013) was published by the DGE.

Consequently, it will be necessary to monitor and evaluate the impact of these policies in Portugal. The objectives of this project are: (1) To quantify ioduria in primary school children, and to quantify the levels of iodine in the salt used in schools and at homes; (2) Train food service professionals on the use of iodized salt; (3) Inform the community about the role of iodine in food.

ACSS/EEA Grants

434 874,28 €

369 643,14 €

Conceição Calhau (PI), Sandra Carla Ferreira Leal, Luís Azevedo, Dulce Madeira, António Guerra, Irene Carvalho

http://www.iogeneration.com/