Mental Retardation

Causes & Prevention

What Does It Mean When Medical Experts Say "Race" Is A Risk Factor For Certain Diseases?

Editor's Note:

"Race" is sometimes mentioned as a risk factor in the development of certain cancers and a number of other diseases. When you read this in a discussion about an illness, note that the explanation seldom refers to anything biological. Instead, it usually refers to behavior, such as eating habits. The kinds of behavior usually mentioned as risk factors are culturally determined. They are not genetic or biological.

Iodine deficiency is the most common cause of preventable Mental Retardation

According to the International Council for the Control of Iodine Deficiency Disorders, "Iodine deficiency is the single most common cause of preventable mental retardation and brain damage in the world. It also decreases child survival, causes goiters, and impairs growth and development." Iodine deficiency can cause miscarriages, stillbirths, and complications in pregnancy.

Prenatal Lead Exposure May Reduce Intellectual Development More Than Postnatal Exposure

Mexican researchers have suggested that prenatal lead exposure would have a more powerful and lasting impact on child development than postnatal exposure.

The researchers concluded that lead exposure around 28 weeks gestation is a critical period for later child intellectual development, with lasting and possibly permanent effects.