Iodized salt safe for preventing iodine deficiency

Iodized salt is efficient in preventing iodine deficiencies and will not induce thyroid cancer, experts and officials from the Ministry of Health said Friday. A report by China Central Television (CCTV) stated that the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer is not linked to the consumption of iodized salt. Ministry of Health official Li Xun said there has been no proof to indicate that consuming iodized salt leads to thyroid cancer. The International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders has also issued a statement saying that iodized salt is not related to the induction of thyroid cancer, Li added. Rumors have recently spread online stating that increasing cases of thyroid cancer have been caused by the consumption of iodized salt. Health experts said unhealthy lifestyles and improved medical techniques that diagnose thyroid cancer at an earlier stage have led to increasing numbers of thyroid cancer cases in China.