Table 3.
Cross-sectional comparison of iodine intake and selected blood markers between omnivore, vegetarian and vegan children aged 0–6 years.
| Parameter | Control OM (n) | Min | Max | Mean (±SD) | Median | IQR | Diet (n) | Min | Max | Mean (±SD) | Median | IQR | p* | Adj. p** | Effect size CI 95% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iodine intake | |||||||||||||||
| MDI (µg/day) | 23 | 0.40 | 112.5 | 51.53 ± 30.42 | 66.10 | 22.45–75.05 | VG (52) | 0.00 | 625.5 | 68.54 ± 95.47 | 45.15 | 28.77–74.88 | 0.24 | 0.24 | 0.01 (0.00–0.27) |
| VN (56) | 0.00 | 210.0 | 41.29 ± 41.33 | 44.05 | 0.78–72.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.16 (0.01–0.35) | |||||||
| Dose of supplement (µg/day) | 28 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 ± 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00–0.00 | VG (54) | 0.00 | 200.0 | 16.02 ± 43.14 | 0.00 | 0.00–0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.23 (0.15–0.33) |
| VN (60) | 0.00 | 175.0 | 15.33 ± 40.25 | 0.00 | 0.00–0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.23 (0.14–0.31) | |||||||
| Markers of iodine status | |||||||||||||||
| TSH [mUI/l] | 28 | 0.77 | 6.70 | 2.90 ± 1.72 | 2.46 | 1.45–4.09 | VG (53) | 1.23 | 5.74 | 2.64 ± 1.07 | 2.38 | 1.80–3.22 | 0.75 | 1.00 | 0.00 (0.01–0.29) |
| VN (57) | 0.67 | 5.09 | 2.48 ± 1.19 | 2.24 | 1.58–3.04 | 0.90 | 1.00 | 0.08 (0.00–0.29) | |||||||
| fT4 [pmol/l] | 28 | 12.30 | 18.16 | 15.60 ± 1.62 | 15.64 | 14.21–16.89 | VG (53) | 11.23 | 21.75 | 16.02 ± 2.27 | 15.83 | 14.22–17.68 | 0.18 | 0.18 | 0.08 (0.00–0.27) |
| VN (57) | 13.35 | 21.94 | 16.46 ± 1.77 | 16.32 | 15.28–17.41 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.18 (0.01–0.38) | |||||||
| fT3 [pmol/l] | 28 | 6.07 | 8.53 | 7.30 ± 0.70 | 7.29 | 6.79–7.87 | VG (53) | 6.19 | 16.16 | 7.61 ± 1.46 | 7.44 | 6.76–7.78 | 0.26 | 0.26 | 0.06 (0.00–0.27) |
| VN (56) | 6.02 | 9.49 | 7.47 ± 0.69 | 7.36 | 7.08–7.90 | 0.09 | 0.18 | 0.10 (0.01–0.33) | |||||||
| TG [µg/l] | 28 | 8.35 | 87.58 | 35.47 ± 19.68 | 31.98 | 17.96–48.76 | VG (49) | 13.03 | 104.70 | 38.98 ± 21.03 | 34.70 | 23.54–44.46 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.17 (0.01–0.38) |
| VN (44) | 1.99 | 345.5 | 40.81 ± 49.70 | 32.47 | 23.40–43.01 | 0.12 | 0.24 | 0.00 (0.00–0.28) | |||||||
| UIC [µg/l] | 28 | 40.80 | 494.0 | 190.84 ± 115.26 | 181.0 | 84.65–262.25 | VG (53) | 15.70 | 787.0 | 176.99 ± 174.76 | 115.0 | 68.40–211.00 | 0.03 | 0.03 | 0.17 (0.01–0.38) |
| VN (57) | 5.99 | 991.8 | 165.4 ± 184.3 | 101.0 | 52.8–187.0 | 0.01 | 0.01 | 0.21 (0.02–0.40) | |||||||
Values of blood markers were log transformed and adjustment was made for sex and age.
MDI mean daily intake, TSH thyroid-stimulating hormone, fT4 free thyroxine, fT3 free triiodothyronine, TG thyroglobulin, UIC spot urine iodine, OM omnivore, VG vegetarian, VN vegan, n number of subjects, IQR interquartile range, SD standard deviation, CI confidential interval.
*p value calculated using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests; ** adjusted p value calculated using linear regression.