Iodine Supplementation Decreases Hypercholesterolemia in Iodine-Deficient, Overweight Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

What this study found

Iodine supplementation improved thyroid iodine status and modestly improved the lipid profile in this iodine-deficient population. In the treated group, median urinary iodine concentration increased from 38 (95% CI: 34, 45) to 77 (95% CI: 59, 89) mg/L (P < 0.001), and TSH was 33% lower than placebo at 6 months (P = 0.024). Among women with elevated baseline cholesterol, total cholesterol fell by 11% after intervention (P = 0.034); at 6 months, the between-group difference was 0.3 (95% CI: -0.1, 0.7) mmol/L for total cholesterol and 0.3 (95% CI: -0.1, 0.7) mmol/L for LDL cholesterol. The…

Study & population

Randomized controlled trial in iodine-deficient, overweight or obese premenopausal Moroccan women aged 20 to 50 years.

Intervention

Participants in the active arm received oral potassium iodide tablets providing 200 mg iodine daily for 6 months.

Key limitation

The trial was limited to a relatively small, narrowly selected group of iodine-deficient overweight or obese premenopausal women from one district in southern Morocco, which limits generalizability.

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