CRN, Public Health Organizations Work Together to Emphasize the Need for Iodine
CRN is leading the charge to educate American women about the need to get at least 150 mcg of iodine in order to avert an emerging public health issue that could negatively put their unborn children at risk for irreversible brain damage and other neurological abnormalities. Scientific evidence supports iodine’s role in healthy brain development in utero and during early childhood, but as Americans have been urged to put down the salt shakers, there is growing concern that pregnant and lactating women are not getting enough iodine in their diets. On the heels of CRN issuing voluntary guidelines in January calling for dietary supplement manufacturers to ensure their multivitamin/mineral supplements intended for pregnant and lactating women in the U.S. contain at least 150 mcg of iodine, the association’s scientists published a paper in Natural Medicine Journal urging healthcare practitioners to support public health efforts to ensure adequate iodine intake in this population. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) suggests that iodine intake has decreased over the past several decades, with the percentage of women of childbearing age with iodine deficiency rising from four to 15 percent. Ensuring sufficient iodine intake in this population is an important public health goal in the U.S. and CRN is working with leading integrative health physician Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., and the American Thyroid Association to draw attention to the issue within the industry and with the media.
Two webinars, one lunch briefing focus on supplements
As part of its ongoing education programs for manufacturers and retailers, CRN is offering two webinars. On Sept. 9, CRN is teaming up with Informa Exhibitions, for a two-hour webinar covering the do’s and don’ts for dietary supplement manufacturers when it comes to mastering an FDA good manufacturing practices (GMP) plant inspection. FDA Consumer Safety Officer Angela Pope from the Division of Dietary Supplement Programs will be one of four panelists who will walk participants through a GMP inspection timeline, help them understand what inspectors are trained to do, and provide examples to follow and avoid. See CRN's website for more information or to register.
On Oct. 7, CRN will host a one-hour webinar for pharmacists and nurse practitioners on the role of dietary supplements in cognitive health. James Greenblatt, M.D., assistant clinical professor of Psychiatry at Tufts University School of Medicine, will be the featured speaker. CRN is presenting the webinar with the Pharmacist Society, an online community from Skipta. Registration will open soon. For more information, contact Gretchen Powers.
CRN is working in cooperation with the Congressional Dietary Supplement Caucus and other supplement industry trade associations, in presenting the next in an ongoing series of luncheon briefings for Capitol Hill staffers focusing on dietary supplement topics.
Taking place in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 9, Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine Fellowship Director, and nationally recognized physician, author and speaker, will provide an M.D.’s perspective on the strong case for the responsible use of dietary supplements. For more information, contact CRN’s Ingrid Lebert.
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