NEWS
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Dr Emma Derbyshire PhD RNutr Nutritional Insight Ltd Emma heads Nutritional Insight Ltd, an independent consultancy to industry, government and PR agencies. An avid writer for academic journals and media, her specialist areas are maternal nutrition, child nutrition and functional foods. www.nutritionalinsight.co.uk @DrDerbyshire
FIGHT THE FADS Hopefully, most of you may have already heard of the Fight the Fads campaign, most likely through social media channels. The team is comprised of three nutrition myth busters, Caroline, Harriet and Elisabeth, who are training to be dietitians at King’s College London. Together they have launched a government petition to legally protect the use of the title ‘Nutritionist’ - to help stop the surge of online ‘wellness’ experts and bloggers from pushing false and often dangerous dietary information. Currently, the petition has succeeded in obtaining 5,124 signatures (January 2017), but needs 10,000 signatures for government to consider and respond to the petition. The petition runs for six months and expires on 4th May this year, so that gives another three to four months to run in order to meet the target. The Fight the Fads team has done amazing work in getting this off the ground, so let’s help give them a helping hand in getting to the 10,000 benchmark. If you know a work colleague or health professional who has not signed the petition, please point it out and ask them to take a look at it and sign it, ideally there and then. Let’s give the title ‘Nutritionist’ the official protection that it deserves. Visit: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/171211 to sign the petition.
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IODINE GETS OVERLOOKED The value of taking folic acid before and during pregnancy is fairly well known, even though this is not always put into practice. Iodine is also important in pregnancy, for infant nerve and brain development. However, new research shows that awareness about this is worryingly low. A recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition evaluated knowledge of iodine amongst women of childbearing age. Amongst the 520 completing the survey, only one-third (32%) correctly identified that iodine was needed for pregnancy. Nearly half (41%) could not link iodine deficiency to a related health problem and 46% failed to meet dietary targets for iodine (140 µg/d). These findings indicate that iodine intakes are insufficient amongst UK and Irish women of childbearing age. Furthermore, knowledge is also poor and needs to be advanced for intakes to improve in the future. For more information, see: O’Kane SM et al (2016). British Journal of Nutrition Vol 116, no 10, pg 1728-35
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www.NHDmag.com February 2017 - Issue 121
NETWORK HEALTH DIGEST
NHD READERSHIP SURVEY RESULTS We had a tremendous response to our recent Readership Survey. Thank you to everyone who participated. Your feedback, suggestions and ideas have been invaluable. The results of the NHD Readership Survey will be in the next issue of NHD which will be online to view at www.NHDmag.com. Login with your password to view. If you haven’t got login details, click on ‘subscribe’ from our homepage to check whether you are eligible for a FREE subscription. You will then be able to access a host of dietetic resources as well as the current issue of NHD and our back issues archive.