Newspaper letters from the Group
The UK Iodine Group has written several letters to national newspapers as a way of promoting the issue of iodine deficiency in the UK and raising awareness.
Institute of Welsh Affairs journal, 5 January 2013
Professor John Lazarus wrote an article for the Institute of Welsh Affairs journal, which resulted in an article in the
Welsh national press (Western Mail) 5 January 2013
Letter to The Times, 6 May 2013
Following a report in The Times on a study that showed low reading ability in children in New Zealand who were born to iodine deficient mothers, the Group wrote a letter to The Times, highlighting the issue in the UK.
Sir
We would like to endorse and emphasise your report on concern over the iodine status of the United Kingdom (“Low iodine may lead to literacy problems’, May 1).
A nationwide study in The Lancet in 2011 of schoolgirls aged 14 to 15 showed that they were mildly iodine deficient. As these girls may become pregnant in the next decade, we believe this finding places their offspring at risk of impaired development. Although the World Health Organisation recommends an increase in iodine intake during pregnancy, there is no evidence of implementation of this recommendation in the UK, and only a minority of women take a supplement that contains iodine.
The UK is now one of only 32 countries in the world that are still iodine deficient. We urge that the Department of Health now considers implementing corrective action. The latter is relatively simple and inexpensive, namely iodisation of salt used in the household and in food manufacturing processes.
Letter to the Telegraph, 24 June 2014
Following reports of new standards for school meals, including promotion of milk to children, the Group wrote a letter to the Telegraph:
School milk helps to combat iodine deficiency
SIR – The Government’s decision to offer milk to all pupils in state schools is commendable. As well as calcium, milk is an important source of iodine. There is evidence that mild iodine deficiency is present in some groups in the population. Iodine deficiency has been shown to affect the ability of children to learn and achieve their academic potential. The UK Iodine Group has been formed to ensure adequate iodine nutrition.
Although there is a seasonal variation in iodine concentration in milk (higher in winter than summer), offering milk in schools will go some way towards ensuring that the school population gets enough.
There was a response to our letter on 26 June 2014
