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LETTER TO THE EDITOR |
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Year : 2016 | Volume
: 20
| Issue : 1 | Page : 147 |
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Turmeric use is associated with reduced goitrogenesis: Thyroid disorder prevalence in Pakistan
Ali Jawa, Ali Jawad, Syed Hunain Riaz, Muhammad Zaman Khan Assir, Javed Akram
Department of Endocrinology, SZABMU, PIMS, Islamabad, Pakistan
Date of Web Publication | 21-Dec-2015 |
Correspondence Address: Ali Jawa Department of Endocrinology, SZABMU, PIMS, Islamabad Pakistan
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/2230-8210.172246
How to cite this article: Jawa A, Jawad A, Riaz SH, Assir MZ, Akram J. Turmeric use is associated with reduced goitrogenesis: Thyroid disorder prevalence in Pakistan. Indian J Endocr Metab 2016;20:147 |
How to cite this URL: Jawa A, Jawad A, Riaz SH, Assir MZ, Akram J. Turmeric use is associated with reduced goitrogenesis: Thyroid disorder prevalence in Pakistan. Indian J Endocr Metab [serial online] 2016 [cited 2019 Dec 6];20:147. Available from: http://www.ijem.in/text.asp?2016/20/1/147/172246 |
Sir,
This is in response to the letter to the editor by Elahi et al., titled “Reluctance in use of iodized salt for elimination of iodine deficiency” to our original article titled “Turmeric use is associated with reduced goitrogenesis: Thyroid disorder prevalence in Pakistan.”[1] The comments by Elahi et al., that we have suggested the use of turmeric “instead” of iodized salt are misleading and far from the truth.[2] For the sake of clarity, I would like to paraphrase the relevant discussion part of our original article: “Owing to the limitation of resources, we did not assess iodide sufficiency, thiocyanate exposure and autoimmunity in this study. The underlying assumption is that there is significant iodine deficiency among the subjects screened. However, we need objective data in the populace, including children and pregnant women. It would be interesting to see the urinary iodide thiocyanate excretion and autoimmunity state in subjects in future studies.
Our study findings have important real life implications. Advising people to avoid goitrogen containing food is impractical. However, if we can educate them to incorporate turmeric, spices and green chilies in their cooking recipes, we can reduce the risk of goiter development. In addition, use of iodized salt in their daily diet cannot be overemphasized."
Financial support and sponsorship
Nil
Conflicts of interest
There are no conflicts of interest.
References | |  |
1. | Jawa A, Jawad A, Riaz SH, Assir MZ, Chaudhary AW, Zakria M, et al. Turmeric use is associated with reduced goitrogenesis: Thyroid disorder prevalence in Pakistan (THYPAK) study. Indian J Endocrinol Metab 2015;19:347-50. |
2. | Elahi S, Syed Z, Saleem N, Rizvi NB. Reluctance in use of iodized salt for elimination of iodine deficiency. Indian J Endocrinol Metab 2015;19:534-5. |
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