RELEVANCE AND IMPORTANCE OF UNIVERSAL SALT IODIZATION IN INDIA

It is well known that iodine and thyroid hormone are essential for nor mal development of the human brain and body, Lack of iodine in the die t leads to 'visible' and 'invisible' spectrum of iodine deficiency dis orders. The prevalence of iodine deficiency can be assessed by estimat ing the total goitre rate in the population. A large section of the In dian population suffers from iodine deficiency disorders. These are ea sily preventable as was shown more than 40 years ago in the study cond ucted in Kangra Valley, Salt is the best medium of iodine supplementat ion in India. The potential risks of iodine supplementation, including the risk of iodine-induced thyrotoxicosis, are discussed, Finally, we attempt to formulate policy guidelines on iodine supplementation on t he basis of presumed risk:benefit ratio for carrying out an iodine sup plementation programme. Taking into consideration medical, social, eco nomic and political aspects of universal salt iodization, the benefits far outweigh the potential low risk due to iodine excess in a small s egment of the population.