Insufficient iodine intake in pregnant women in different regions of the world: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the prevalence of insufficient iodine intake in pregnant women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The search was performed in the electronic databases Medline (PubMed), Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (Lilacs) and Scopus. Review studies, experimental studies, those with adolescent pregnant women (< 20 years) and iodine supplementation were excluded. The selection followed the steps of identifying the articles in the databases, deleting the duplicates, and reading the titles, abstracts, and then the entire article. The search for the articles occurred in September 2017, using the descriptors "pregnant" and "iodine deficiency" NOT "supplementation" in English, Portuguese and Spanish. RESULTS: Thirteen articles were included, the deficiency prevalence ranged from 16.1% to 84.0%, and the median of iodine intake was insufficient in 75% of the studies. There is no classification for mild, moderate or severe levels of iodine deficiency in pregnant women, which makes it impossible to know the real dimension of the problem. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of insufficient iodine intake in pregnant women, observed worldwide, shows the need for a population classification in order to direct public policies. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2019;63(3):306-11.

Insufficient iodine intake in pregnant women in different regions of the world: a systematic review

ABSTRACT Objective To determine the prevalence of insufficient iodine intake in pregnant women. Materials and methods The search was performed in the electronic databases Medline (PubMed), Latin American and Caribbean Literature in Health Sciences (Lilacs) and Scopus. Review studies, experimental studies, those with adolescent pregnant women (< 20 years) and iodine supplementation were excluded. The selection followed the steps of identifying the articles in the databases, deleting the duplicates, and reading the titles, abstracts, and then the entire article. The search for the articles occurred in September 2017, using the descriptors "pregnant" and "iodine deficiency" NOT "supplementation" in English, Portuguese and Spanish. Results Thirteen articles were included, the deficiency prevalence ranged from 16.1% to 84.0%, and the median of iodine intake was insufficient in 75% of the studies. There is no classification for mild, moderate or severe levels of iodine deficiency in pregnant women, which makes it impossible to know the real dimension of the problem. Conclusion The high prevalence of insufficient iodine intake in pregnant women, observed worldwide, shows the need for a population classification in order to direct public policies. Arch Endocrinol Metab. 2019;63(3):306-11

Addition of pooled pumpkin seed to mixed meals reduced postprandial glycemia: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.

We investigated if pumpkin and flaxseeds could improve postprandial glycemic, food intake, and appetitive responses. Herein, we hypothesize based on the literature that pumpkin seed has potential to lower postprandial glycemic effects. Therefore, we conducted a randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design study involving normoglycemic adults (food intake: n = 25; glycemia: n = 15). Three high-carbohydrate mixed meals presenting no seed (control [C]) or 65 g of the tested seeds (pumpkin seed [P] or flaxseed [F]) were consumed in 3 nonconsecutive days. Test meals had similar nutritional composition. Blood glucose was measured by capillary finger blood at 0 (immediately before), 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after the ingestion of each meal, and the incremental area under glycemic response curves (iAUC) were calculated. Appetitive responses were assessed, and dietary records were used to evaluate food intake on testing days. Glucose iAUC was significantly lower in P compared with C (reduction of ~35%, P = .025). There was no significant differences in glucose iAUC between F and C (P = .257). Glycemic response at each time point did not differ between C, P, and F (Pgroup × time = .238). Fiber consumption was higher in F (P = .009) than in C, but there were no differences in appetitive responses, energy, or macronutrient consumptions between dietary interventions. Acute consumption of 65 g of pumpkin seed markedly reduced postprandial glycemia. Pumpkin seed has potential as a hypoglycemic food, which now deserves to be confirmed in long-term studies.