Medicine
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Comparative Study Observational Study
Does relatively low iodine intake contribute to thyroid cancer? An ecological comparison of epidemiology.
Research on the relationship between iodine intake and thyroid cancer (TC) risk is limited, and the findings are inconclusive. The objective of this study was to provide emerging evidence for the association between iodine intake and TC risk in a Chinese population. An ecological study of epidemiology is used to compare the iodine intake among populations with different TC incidence in Zhoushan, China. ⋯ The population with high TC incidence has a lower iodized salt consumption and a lower level of UIC compare with the relative low TC incidence populations. The low consumption of iodized salt with mild iodine deficiency may contribute to explain the exceptionally high incidence of TC in Daishan County. Further subtle designed studies are needed to provide additional insights into the epidemiology and etiology of TC and help identify the safe limit of iodine intake for prevention.