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Effects of Excessive Iodine Intake on Blood Glucose, Blood Pressure, and Blood Lipids in Adults

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Abstract

To understand the effects of excess iodine intake on blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids in adults. We selected three villages from Shanxi Province to conduct cross-sectional survey: Maxi [median water iodine concentration (MWIC) 6.3 μg/L, median urinary iodine concentration (MUIC) 126.6 μg/L, 320 adults]; Xiwenzhuang (MWIC 79.8 μg/L, MUIC 221.2 μg/L, 264 adults); and Gaoche (MWIC 506.0 μg/L, MUIC 421.3 μg/L, 241 adults). According to the urinary iodine levels in adults, the three villages were defined as iodine-adequate, iodine-sufficient, and iodine-excess. Urinary iodine, water iodine, thyroid function, blood glucose, blood pressure, and blood lipids were measured. Compared with the iodine-adequate area, blood glucose and systolic and diastolic pressure of adults in iodine-sufficient and iodine-excess areas increased and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol decreased (all P < 0.001). Urinary iodine, thyroid-stimulating hormone, and free thyroxine have a nonlinear correlation with blood glucose (R2 = 0.8174, 0.8264, and 0.8520, respectively). Excessive iodine intake may result in elevated blood glucose and blood pressure and has some influence on blood lipids, and may increase the risk of hypertension and diabetes.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for the assistance provided by the Institute for Prevention and Treatment of Endemic Disease of Shanxi for collecting epidemiological data and urine samples, and contributions and support from all participants.

Funding

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 81573098).

Authors’ Contributions

Hongmei Shen and Lixiang Liu designed the research. Hongmei Shen, Xing Jin, Lixiang Liu, Qingzhen Jia, and Xiangdong Zhang conducted the research. Jiwei Liu analyzed the data and wrote the paper. Hongmei Shen had primary responsibility for the final content. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Jiwei Liu and Lixiang Liu contributed equally to the work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Endemic Disease Control, Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China

    Jiwei Liu, Lixiang Liu & Hongmei Shen

  2. Institute for Endemic Disease Prevention and Treatment of Shanxi Province, Linfen, Shanxi, China

    Qingzhen Jia & Xiangdong Zhang

  3. Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China

    Xing Jin

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  1. Jiwei Liu
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  2. Lixiang Liu
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Correspondence to Hongmei Shen.

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All the procedures used in this experiment were reviewed and approved by the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee of Harbin Medical University. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Liu, J., Liu, L., Jia, Q. et al. Effects of Excessive Iodine Intake on Blood Glucose, Blood Pressure, and Blood Lipids in Adults. Biol Trace Elem Res 192, 136–144 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-019-01668-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-019-01668-9

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