CEBU CITY – Salt manufacturers are reminded to comply with Republic Act 8172 or the ASIN Law in fortifying salt with the correct amount of iodine in order to get the essential quantity in nutritional iodine requirement for human needs.
Dr. Parolita Mission, the regional program coordinator of the National Nutrition Council (NNC-7), said under the law, salt manufacturers or producers must fortify their salt with 30 to 70 parts per million (ppm) to allow a margin of iodine lost during the distribution process.
“Iodine content of 15 ppm in household level is already okay,” Mission said.
The NNC-7 regional coordinator said salt manufacturers are complying with the law in fortifying salt with iodine, but the question now lies on whether they follow the adequate quantity of iodate potassium as required by law.
“In one of our random spot checks to test quality iodized salt in the market, we found out that the salt sold in Carbon and Taboan markets only yielded seven percent ppm of iodine,” Mission said.
She said that simultaneous to the campaign on iodized salt is its moderate use because too much salt is also dangerous to the health
The ASIN Law was passed to address iodine deficiency, one of the three top micro-nutrient deficiencies in the country along with Vitamin A and iron.
Iodine is a mineral needed by the thyroid gland to make thyroid hormones important in regulating cell metabolism and growth. One visible sign of iodine deficiency is goiter, according to Mission, but she said the more serious complications involved mental impairment, cretinism, stillbirth and abortion among pregnant women.
Dr. Marlon Co, president of the Cebu Medical Society, on the other hand, said the development of goiter is not due to Iodine deficiency disorder alone as other factors can also cause goiter such as over or under function of the thyroid gland, nodules or tumors.
Co said the ideal iodine requirement a body needs is 150 micrograms a day or less than one teaspoon of iodized salt. He warned on the excessive use of salt intake which can lead to hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases.
(RMN, FCR)
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