MedPath

Prenatal Iodine Supplementation and Early Childhood Neurodevelopment

Phase 4
Active, not recruiting
Conditions
Pregnancy Related
Nutrition Disorder, Fetal
Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Interventions
Combination Product: Low Iodine Supplement
Combination Product: Standard Iodine Supplement
Registration Number
NCT04586348
Lead Sponsor
South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute
Brief Summary

A randomized controlled trial to determine the effect of reducing iodine from vitamin and mineral supplements for pregnant women who have adequate iodine intakes (\>165 μg/d from food alone) on cognitive development of children at 24 months of age.

Detailed Description

It is known that severe iodine deficiency during pregnancy leads to profound intellectual disabilities in the child. Following results of a 2004 national survey of school-aged children showing that mild iodine deficiency had re-emerged in the south-eastern parts of Australia, the Australian government mandated the addition of iodine to salt used in bread making to increase population iodine intake. It is also recommended that all pregnant and lactating women take an additional iodine supplement containing 150 µg/d of iodine.

Since this time, further evidence has emerged from cohort studies that children born to women with high iodine intake (as well as low iodine intake) have poorer neurodevelopmental scores, suggesting that more tailored supplementation may be a better strategy. Our PoppiE trial will determine if limiting iodine supplementation in women who already consume adequate iodine from food, improves cognitive scores in early childhood.

A total of 754 pregnant women from around Australia who are ≤13 weeks of gestation will be enrolled and randomised to receive a standard prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement with a reduced amount of iodine (20 μg - intervention) or a standard prenatal vitamin and mineral supplement with 200 μg of iodine (control). The control supplement contains a level of iodine to match the amount in most commonly used vitamin and mineral supplements sold in Australia. Infant neurodevelopment at 24 months of age will be assessed using the Bayley-IV and conducted at participating centres or a location convenient to the family.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Sex
Female
Target Recruitment
794
Inclusion Criteria
  • Pregnant women ≤13 weeks of gestation.
  • Consume greater than 165 µg/d of iodine from food alone based on our validated Iodine Specific Food Frequency Questionnaire (I-FFQ).
  • English is main language spoken at home as child will need to understand and take instruction in English to participate in the neurodevelopmental assessment.
  • Able to give informed consent.
Exclusion Criteria
  • Known history of thyroid disease.
  • Previous child diagnosed with thyroid dysfunction.
  • Carrying a fetus with a known or suspected congenital abnormality.

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Low Iodine SupplementLow Iodine SupplementIodine (potassium iodide) 20 μg Beta carotene (All trans-beta- carotene) 1500 μg; Vitamin E (dl-alphatocopheryl acetate) 13.5 mg AT; Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) 10 μg; Vitamin C (ascorbic acid granular) 60 mg; Niacinamide 18 mg; Pantothenic acid (calcium d- pantothenate) 6 mg; Vitamin B6 (DC pyridoxine hydrochloride) 1.9 mg; Vitamin B1 (thiamine mononitrate) 1.4 mg; Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 1.4 mg; Biotin 30 μg; Vitamin B12 (methyl-cobalamin) 2.6 μg; Folic Acid 0.4 mg; Levomefolic acid 0.1 mg; Calcium (carbonate DC) 250 mg; Magnesium (oxide granular) 50 mg; Iron (ferrous fumarate) 20 mg; Zinc (oxide) 10 mg; Manganese (sulphate) 2 mg; Copper (sulphate) 1 mg; Selenium (rice chelate) 30 μg
Standard Iodine SupplementStandard Iodine SupplementIodine (potassium iodide) 200 μg Beta carotene (All trans-beta- carotene) 1500 μg; Vitamin E (dl-alphatocopheryl acetate) 13.5 mg AT; Vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) 10 μg; Vitamin C (ascorbic acid granular) 60 mg; Niacinamide 18 mg; Pantothenic acid (calcium d- pantothenate) 6 mg; Vitamin B6 (DC pyridoxine hydrochloride) 1.9 mg; Vitamin B1 (thiamine mononitrate) 1.4 mg; Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 1.4 mg; Biotin 30 μg; Vitamin B12 (methyl-cobalamin) 2.6 μg; Folic Acid 0.4 mg; Levomefolic acid 0.1 mg; Calcium (carbonate DC) 250 mg; Magnesium (oxide granular) 50 mg; Iron (ferrous fumarate) 20 mg; Zinc (oxide) 10 mg; Manganese (sulphate) 2 mg; Copper (sulphate) 1 mg; Selenium (rice chelate) 30 μg
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Infant Developmental quotient (DQ)24 months of age

The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 4th Edition Cognitive Scale score has a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15, where higher scores indicate a better outcome. As the Bayley scales are age-standardized scales the exact minimum and maximum score depends on the exact age of the child at the time of the assessment, hence we have instead provided the mean and standard deviation (as is the norm when reporting standardized psychometric assessments).

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levelWithin 5 days of birth

Ascertained from Neonatal Screening Test

Language development of infants using Bayley-IV24 months of age

The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 4th Edition Language Scale score has a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15, where higher scores indicate a better outcome.

Behavioral and emotional development24 months of age

Behavioral and emotional development of infants using the Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (ITSEA). The Infant-Toddler Social \& Emotional Assessment scale has range of 0-100 where higher T scores indicate a worse outcome.

Health service utilization24 months of age

Health service utilisation of children assessed through data linkage of the Medicare Benefits Schedule, Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme to evaluate the cost effectiveness of the intervention.

Length of gestationBirth

The gestational age in days at birth (or other event of interest) will be determined from the estimated date of delivery using the equation \[280 - (estimated date of delivery - date of birth)\].

Infant Birth AnthropometricsBirth

Infant weight, length and head circumference will be analysed, using both the raw measurements and Z-scores for corresponding gestational age and sex, using means and standard deviations.

Admission to special care baby unit (level 2 nursery).The neonatal period including birth to 28 days of age

Any admission to a special care baby unit or level 2 nursery up to 28 days post birth.

Motor development of infants24 months of age

The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 4th Edition Motor Scale score has a mean of 100 and standard deviation of 15, where higher scores indicate a better outcome.

Infant Anthropometrics24 months of age

Average weight, height and head circumference measurements at 24 months of age will be converted to z-scores using WHO growth standards. For preterm infants, corrected age at the time of the measurement rather than chronological age will be used in deriving the z-scores.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute

🇦🇺

North Adelaide, South Australia, Australia

© Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved by MedPath