Reinforcing the iodine message for pregnant women in Australia

TO THE EDITOR: The recently released clinical practice guidelines on antenatal care,1 which have been endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council, recommend nutritional supplementation with 500 ug/day of folic acid, from 12 weeks before conception and for the first trimester, and 150 ug/day of iodine throughout pregnancy. This recommendation recognises that, despite the introduction in 2009 of mandatory fortification of bread with both iodine and folic acid, fortification does not meet the increased needs of pregnant and lactating women.