Intake of iodine and major nutrients in an area of endemic goitre.

We surveyed the diet of a group of inhabitants in a mountainous area where goitre was endemic. The amount of iodine supplied by the diet was determined by analyzing foods with gas chromatography with electron-capture detection. The mean daily intake of iodine per person was between 286.4 and 1,134.4 micrograms. These values are within acceptable ranges recommended by several authors. The dietary supplies of proteins, fats and carbohydrates were also all within the ranges recommended by the FAO/WHO. Although goitre was endemic in the area studied, no dietary deficiency in iodine supply was found in any of the families investigated. Thus the ultimate cause of the endemic will have to be sought in other etiologic factors.