OF THE commonly eaten foodstuffs, sea fish has the highest iodine content.
Iodine deficiency is rare in maritime communities,and in areas in which iodine-deficiency goiter is endemic the scarcity of fish is thought to be a contributing factor to an inadequate intake of iodine. In a community in which iodine-deficiency goiter is uncommon, we have found that the majority of patients with the condition, especially men,’ rarely eat fish. It is not known, however, whether all the iodine present in fish is available, or whether the calculated intake of iodine based on the chemical analysis of uncooked fish indicates the amount of iodine actually eaten, absorbed
and available to the thyroid gland. Therefore,studies were carried out to determine the chemical nature of iodine in fish, the extent of iodine losses during cooking and the efficiency of intestinal absorption of iodine from fish.