About
My research project
Exploring the impact of plant-based diets on iodine intake in the UK populationInadequate iodine intake is a growing concern in the UK, especially for women of childbearing age, as iodine is essential for producing thyroid hormones required for neurological development during pregnancy. Iodine status in any age group is dependent on individual food choice as, unlike many countries, the UK does not have a salt-iodisation programme. In the UK, milk and other dairy products are the main dietary sources of iodine. However, in recent years, there has been an increased interest in plant-based diets and plant-based alternatives to animal products. This trend is a concern for iodine intake as the ingredients used to make plant-based alternatives to dairy products are naturally low in iodine and, unless the products are fortified, will not contribute to iodine intake. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the influence of a primarily plant-based diet on iodine intake and how to minimise the risk of iodine deficiency.
Supervisors
Inadequate iodine intake is a growing concern in the UK, especially for women of childbearing age, as iodine is essential for producing thyroid hormones required for neurological development during pregnancy. Iodine status in any age group is dependent on individual food choice as, unlike many countries, the UK does not have a salt-iodisation programme. In the UK, milk and other dairy products are the main dietary sources of iodine. However, in recent years, there has been an increased interest in plant-based diets and plant-based alternatives to animal products. This trend is a concern for iodine intake as the ingredients used to make plant-based alternatives to dairy products are naturally low in iodine and, unless the products are fortified, will not contribute to iodine intake. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the influence of a primarily plant-based diet on iodine intake and how to minimise the risk of iodine deficiency.
Publications
Animal foods, especially dairy products, eggs and fish, are the main source of iodine in the UK. However, the use of plant-based alternative products (PBAP) is increasing owing to issues of environmental sustainability. We previously measured the iodine content of milk-alternatives(1) but data are lacking on the iodine content of other plant-based products and there is now a greater number of iodine-fortified products. We aimed to compare: (i) the iodine concentration of fortified and unfortified PBAP and (ii) the iodine concentration of PBAP with their animal-product equivalents, including those not previously measured such as egg and fish alternatives.The iodine concentration of 50 PBAP was analysed in March 2022 at LGC using ICP-MS. The products were selected from a market survey of six UK supermarkets in December 2021. Samples of matrix-matched (e.g. soya/oat) fortified and unfortified alternatives to milk (n = 13 and n = 11), yoghurt (n = 2 and n = 7) and cream (n = 1 and n = 5) were selected for analysis, as well as egg- (n = 1) and fish-alternatives (n = 10). We compared the iodine concentration between PBAPs and data on their animal-product equivalents(2).The iodine concentration of fortified PBAPs was significantly higher than that of unfortified products; the median iodine concentration of fortified vs. unfortified milk alternatives was 321 vs. 0.84 µg/kg (p