Iodized salt won't cause cancer: authorities
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E-mail CRI, November 2, 2012
China's Ministry of Health has iterated to the public that the intake of iodized salt has no direct link to thyroid cancer, The Beijing News reports.
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There is no scientific basis to the assumption that the intake of iodized salt will lead to typhoid cancer. |
The number of thyroid cancer cases across the country surged after iodized salt became widely used in cooking as a substitute for regular salt in 1995, leading people to assume the two were related.
Experts say there is no scientific basis to the assumption, and the increase in the number of thyroid cancer cases is due to the excessive amount of fat and calories that people consume.
Guo Xiaohui, a doctor at Peking University First Hospital, said another reason for the increase is that currently popular type-B ultrasonic examinations, which have a higher resolution than regular x-rays, can detect very small tumors in the human body, resulting in an increased number of cancer diagnoses.
The Ministry of Health said there had been no cases of iodine poisoning in the history of iodized salt intake, and the substance could actually prevent thyroid diseases rather can cause them.
Most Chinese have iodine deficiencies. Even those who reside in coastal areas and consume seafood rich in iodine usually have an insufficient intake of iodized salt.
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