Vegan and vegetarian diets are becoming increasingly popular. Dietary restrictions may increase the risk of iodine deficiency. This systematic review aims to assess iodine intake and status in adults following a vegan or vegetarian diet in industrialised countries. A systematic review and quality assessment were conducted in the period May 2019–April 2020 according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies were identified in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and secondary sources. Fifteen articles met inclusion criteria. Participants included 127,094 adults (aged ≥ 18 years). Vegan groups presented the lowest median urinary iodine concentrations, followed by vegetarians, and did not achieve optimal status. The highest iodine intakes were recorded in female vegans (1448.0 ± 3879.0 µg day−1) and the lowest in vegetarians (15.6 ± 21.0 µg day−1). Omnivores recorded the greatest intake in 83% of studies. Seaweed contributed largely to diets of vegans with excessive iodine intake. Vegans appear to have increased risk of low iodine status, deficiency and inadequate intake compared with adults following less restrictive diets. Adults following vegan and vegetarian diets living in countries with a high prevalence of deficiency may be more vulnerable. Therefore, further monitoring of iodine status in industrialised countries and research into improving the iodine intake and status of adults following vegan and vegetarian diets is required.

Iodine is essential for thyroid hormone synthesis. Individuals adhering to vegan and vegetarian diets have been found to be vulnerable to iodine deficiency. Yet, iodine has not been monitored in these groups across time. This study aims to investigate iodine status, intake and knowledge in vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores and determine changes between 2016-17 and 2019. Dietary intake (µg day−1) was estimated by three-day food diaries (FD), and iodine food frequency questionnaires (FFQ). Urinary iodine concentration (UIC), analysed by ICP-MS, assessed iodine status according to World Health Organisation (WHO) criteria. Iodine knowledge was scored by an adapted questionnaire. IBM SPSS was used for statistical analysis. Ninety-six adults (18-60 y) were recruited in October 2016-17 (vegans; 12, vegetarians; 5, omnivores; 43) and June 2019 (vegans; 7, vegetarians; 10, omnivores; 19). Median dietary iodine was below the Reference Nutrient Intake (RNI) for all groups. Vegans and vegetarians had the lowest iodine intake. Vegans had significantly lower iodine intake than omnivores (2016-17; P = 0.032, 2019; P = 0.001). Omnivores had the highest iodine status (2016-17; 79.4 µg L−1, 2019; 72.4 µg L−1), and vegans the lowest (2016-17; 31.2 µg L−1, 2019; 12.2 µg L−1). Iodine knowledge was poor, but did not differ between dietary groups (2016-17; P = 0.219, 2019; P = 0.532). Vegans and vegetarians continue to be at risk of iodine deficiency. Further, iodine intake in the UK is poor independent of dietary choice. Iodine education is needed along with, research into improving iodine nutrition at national level.

The global population is ageing with many older adults suffering from age-related malnutrition, including micronutrient deficiencies. Adequate nutrient intake is vital to enable older adults to continue living independently and delay their institutionalisation, as well as to prevent deterioration of health status in those living in institutions. This systematic review investigated the insufficiency of trace minerals in older adults living independently and in institutions. We examined 28 studies following a cross-sectional or cohort design, including 7203 older adults (≥60) living independently in 13 Western countries and 2036 living in institutions in seven Western countries. The estimated average requirement (EAR) cut-off point method was used to calculate percentage insufficiency for eight trace minerals using extracted mean and standard deviation values. Zinc deficiency was observed in 31% of community-based women and 49% of men. This was higher for those in institutional care (50% and 66%, respectively). Selenium intakes were similarly compromised with deficiency in 49% women and 37% men in the community and 44% women and 27% men in institutions. We additionally found significant proportions of both populations showing insufficiency for iron, iodine and copper. This paper identifies consistent nutritional insufficiency for selenium, zinc, iodine and copper in older adults.

Background. Dairy products provide a crucial source of dietary iodine for the majority of the UK population, contributing approximately 30-40 % of daily intake. Fluctuations in the iodine content of purchased milk both seasonally and annually implies potential fragility of iodine supply likely through fluctuating supplementation practices in cow herds. We set out to establish the level of national variation in herds and identify factors which might impact milk iodine content. Methods. Milk samples were obtained from 98 herds across the UK via the National Milk Laboratories in August and December 2016. Iodine concentration of samples was measured using ICP-MS. Milk samples and feed intake data were additionally taken from 22 cows from the University of Nottingham (UON) dairy herd. Results. There was considerable variation in milk iodine content from < 0.012 (Limit of Detection) to 1558 µg L -1 , with a summer median of 197 µg L -1 and winter median 297 µg L -1 . Overall, winter values were higher than summer counterparts (P<0.001) and this held true for samples taken from the North West (P=0.002) and South West (P=0.006) but not for other regions studied. Data from the UON herd showed a negative relationship between iodine content and milk yield (P=0.03) and we found that milk iodine content varied considerably despite apparently similar iodine intakes. Conclusions. Regional differences in milk iodine concentration between summer and winter suggests that feeding practices are far from uniform across the country. The negative association observed between iodine concentration and milk yield in UON samples, suggests that reduced summer values may be influenced by dilution in addition to seasonal differences in concentrate feed provision.

Nutritional Sciences programme where she teaches across a number of human nutrition undergraduate and postgraduate modules. Research interests concern micronutrient deficiencies, in particular the impact of restricted diets on micronutrient status. Pedagogical interests include understanding and improving the education and experience of postgraduate taught students.Rachel Jessop is Director of Internationalisation for the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham. Rachel works with staff across the school to develop and promote internationalisation, including international teaching partnerships; incoming and outgoing student and staff mobility; international student support; working with the School's Director of Research regarding developing international research collaborations; and disseminating information about international activities.Pauline Maden is the Faculty of Science Careers and Employability Consultant at the University of Nottingham, where she leads a team of careers professionals working in partnership with academic colleagues to deliver expert careers services. Areas of expertise include career decision making, emerging careers in science and technology and the future of work.Gavin White is an Assistant Professor of Animal Nutrition and also Course Director for the MSc programme in Animal Nutrition where he teaches across a number of modules on livestock, zoo and pet nutrition. His pedagogical research interests include gaining a better understanding of student experiences and challenges specifically with regard to the transition from undergraduate to taught postgraduate study. 2The overlooked cohort? -Improving the taught postgraduate student experience in Higher Education Taught postgraduate students in the UK have a limited timeframe for study compared with other student groups, with most full-time taught postgraduate courses requiring intense scholarship, typically over a 12-month period. Many of these students often face a number of challenges and concerns with regard to the transition from undergraduate to taught postgraduate study as they adapt to a new learning environment with a higher level of academic expectations. In this paper, we discuss the results of a new experience survey, designed to capture a holistic view of taught postgraduate student feedback beyond the traditional academic content and to also capture self-reported challenges experienced during their studies. This article also describes the development of a new collaborative support programme in response to student feedback. The programme has been designed to offer a cohesive package of workshop sessions around academic skills, personal wellbeing, support and career development. The importance of providing a targeted support framework for this specific, and often overlooked population of students within the HE sector is discussed.