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Dr Sarah Bath

 

Dr Sarah Bath is a Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition at the University of Surrey. She is a registered dietitian with the Health and Care Professions Council. She worked as a clinical dietitian in the NHS for 18 months. 

Sarah has been researching iodine in the UK since 2006. Under the supervision of Professor Margaret Rayman, she completed her PhD on “iodine status of UK pregnant women and its implications”. She recently held an MRC Population Health Scientist Fellowship (2013-2016) to investigate “Iodine status in pregnancy and child neurodevelopment: the influence of genetic variation, selenium status and thyroid function on the relationship”.

Iodine/thyroid journal publications

  1. Levie D, Korevaar TIM, Bath SC, Dalmau-Bueno A, Murcia M, Espada M, Dineva M, Ibarluzea JM, Sunyer J, Tiemeier H, Rebagliato M, Rayman MP, Peeters RP, Guxens M (2018) Maternal thyroid function in early pregnancy, child IQ, and autistic traits: a meta-analysis of individual-participant data from three population-based birth cohorts.Clin. Endocrinol. Metab (E-pub 10 May 2018 doi: 10.1210/jc.2018-00224)
  2. Torlinska B, Bath SC, Janjua A, Boelaert K, Chan SY (2018) Iodine status during pregnancy in a region of mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency is not associated with adverse obstetric outcomes; results from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) Nutrients Mar 1; 10(3) E291. doi: 10.3390/nu10030291.
  3. Velasco I, Bath SC, Rayman MP, Peña-Rosas JP (2018) Iodine as Essential Nutrient during the First 1000 Days of Life. Nutrients Mar 1; 10(3) E290. doi: 10.3390/nu10030290.
  4. O’Kane SM, Pourshahidi LM, Mulhern M. Strain SJJ, Mackle EM, Koca D, Schomburg L, Hill S, O’Reilly J, Kmiotek D, Deitrich C, Bath SC & Yeates AJ. (2018) Cow Milk Consumption Increases Iodine Status in Women of Childbearing Age in a Randomized Controlled Trial. J Nutr; E-pub 12 March 2018; doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxx043.
  5. Bath SC (2017) Iodine supplementation in pregnant women from mildly deficient regions. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol E-pub 10 October 2017 doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(17)30331-5
  6. Bath SC Hill S, Goenaga Infante H, Elghul S, Nezianya CJ & Rayman MP. (2017) Iodine concentration of milk-alternative drinks available in the UK in comparison to cows’ milk. Br J Nutr E-pub 26 Sept 2017 doi:10.1017/S0007114517002136
  7. Bath SC & Rayman MP (2017) Has the UK really become iodine sufficient? Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol; http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(17)30133-X
  8. Bath SC (2016) The challenges of harmonising the iodine supply across Europe. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol; dx.doi.org/10.1016/S2213-8587(16)30329-1
  9. Bath SC, Pop VJ, Furmidge-Owen VL, Broeren MA, Rayman MP (2016) Thyroglobulin as a functional biomarker of iodine status in a cohort study of UK pregnant women. Thyroid
  10. Bath SC, and Rayman MP Trace element concentration in organic and conventional milk: what are the nutritional implications of the recently reported differences? Br J Nutr.
  11. Bath SC, Combet E, Scully P et al (2015) A multi-centre pilot study of iodine status in UK schoolchildren aged 8-10 years. Eur J Nutr
  12. Bath SC, Furmidge-Owen VL, Redman CW et al. (2015) Gestational changes in iodine status in a cohort study of pregnant women from the United Kingdom: season as an effect modifier. Am J Clin Nutr.
  13. Bath SC and Rayman MP (2015) A review of the iodine status of UK pregnant women and its implications for the offspring. Environ Geochem Health E-pub 7 Feb; doi 10.1007/s10653-015-9682-3
  14. Mao J, Pop VJM, Bath SC, Vader HL, Redman CWG, Rayman (2014) MP Effect of low-dose selenium on thyroid autoimmunity and thyroid function in UK pregnant women with mild-to-moderate iodine deficiency Eur J Nutr doi:10.1007/s00394-014-0822-9
  15. Bath SC, Sleeth ML, Mckenna M, Walter A, Taylor A, Rayman MP (2014) Iodine intake and status of UK women of childbearing age recruited at the University of Surrey in the winter. Br J Nutr E-pub 2 Oct 2014
  16. Bath SC, Wright J, Taylor A, Walter A, Rayman MP (2014) Iodine deficiency in pregnant women living in the South East of the UK – a study investigating the influence of diet and nutritional supplements on iodine status Br J Nutr; 111: 1622-1631
  17. Bath SC, Button S, Rayman MP (2014). Iodised salt availability in the UK – is it likely to influence population iodine intake? Public Health Nutr; 17: 450-454.
  18. Bath SC, Steer C, Golding J, Emmett P, Rayman MP. Effect of inadequate iodine status in UK pregnant women on cognitive outcomes in their children: results from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). Lancet; 382: 331-37
  19. Bath SC, Rayman MP (2013) Facts Behind the Headlines: Is iodine deficiency during pregnancy a public health concern in the UK? Nutr Bull; 38: 400-404
  20. Bath SC (2013) Comment: Direct or indirect iodine supplementation of infants? Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol; 2: 184-185
  21. Bath SC, Jolly KB, Rayman MP (2013) Iodine supplements during and after pregnancy. JAMA 309, 1345
  22. Bath SC, Button S, Rayman MP (2012) Iodine concentration of organic and conventional milk: implications for iodine intake Br J Nutr, 107 935-940.
  23. Bath SC, Rayman MP. (2012) Iodine deficiency in the UK – an overlooked cause of neurodevelopment delay? Proc Nut Soc, 72: 226-35
  24. Bath SC, Rayman MP (2012) Antenatal thyroid screening and childhood cognitive function. N Engl J Med; 366: 1640-1641; author reply 1641
  25. Bath SC, Rayman MP (2011) Iodine deficiency in UK schoolgirls Lancet 378 1623

 

Dietetic articles

  1. Bath SC (2015) The need for iodine in pregnancy – a focus on the UK situation. Complete Nutrition; 7:13-16
  2. Bath SC & Rayman MP (2014) Iodine deficiency in the UK; dietetic perspectives. NHD (Network Health Dietitians) magazine; 94: 39-42.
  3. Bath SC (2014) Dietetic implications of iodine deficiency in the UK. Dietetics Today (monthly publication of the British Dietetic Association); 41 (9): 39-40.

Invited Conference presentations

Society for Endocrinology (November 2018) Iodine supplementation in pregnancy and effect on offspring neurodevelopment. Glasgow, UK

American Thyroid Association (ATA) 88th Annual Meeting, (3-7 October 2018) Iodine Deficiency and Excess in Pregnant Women. Washington, DC

Rank Prize Fund Mini-Symposium on Dairy Products and the Life Cycle – Emerging evidence, (September 2018) Contribution of milk to iodine status and impact of varying levels of iodine in milk from different sources. Grasmere, UK.

Irish Section Nutrition Society (June 2018): The effect of iodine deficiency during pregnancy on child development. Coleraine, Northern Ireland

22th Annual Meeting of The Dutch Thyroid Research Foundation (June  2018): Iodine status, thyroid hormones and pregnancy. Amsterdam, The Netherlands

5th International Conference on Nutrition and Growth (March 2018): Iodine: is supplementation needed in pregnancy? Paris, France,

World Iodine Association (November 2017) Dietary sources of iodine Pisa, Italy

Iodine Global Network/European Thyroid Association/EUthyroid symposium (September 2017):  Has the UK really become iodine sufficient? Belgrade, Serbia

Iodine Global Network March 2016 Iodine Nutrition in UK – Is there enough for pregnancy? London.

European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) conference, October 2015. Satellite Symposium: Public health interventions in endocrinology (sponsored by Sandoz): Iodine in pregnancy, Barcelona, Spain

ESPGHAN 2015, Amsterdam, May 2015 “Iodine and neurodevelopment – data from the ALSPAC study”

Ulster Immunology Group, Coleraine, February 2015 “Iodine deficiency in the UK – would an iodisation programme increase thyroid autoimmunity?”

MRC-HNR (Human Nutrition Research) unit, Cambridge, April 2014 “Iodine status in UK pregnant women and implications for fetal brain development”.

King’s College London, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, March 2014 “Iodine status in UK pregnant women and implications for fetal brain development”.

British Thyroid Association London Branch, Royal Free Hospital, London, November 2013 “Thyroid function: iodine and goitrogens”

Food and Behaviour Research Conference, London, October 2013 “Iodine status of pregnant women and cognitive outcomes in their children: Findings from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children.”

Nutrimenthe International Conference, Granada, Spain, September 2013 “Does maternal iodine status in pregnancy influence child neurodevelopment?”

Festival of Research Hot Topics, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, July 2013 “Iodine status in UK pregnant women and implications for fetal brain development”

Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Oxford, October 2012 “The fetus and cognitive development: does maternal iodine intake matter?”

Nutrition Society Summer Meeting, Belfast, UK, July 2012; Postgraduate Symposium “Iodine deficiency in the UK – an overlooked cause of neurodevelopmental delay?”

Iodine status in the UK – the way forward, London, UK, June 2012 “Iodine status and cognitive development in the ALSPAC cohort”

The Dairy Council for Northern Ireland, Belfast, UK, March 2012 “Emerging evidence on iodine deficiency in the UK, public health implications”

 

Conference Presentations

Nutrition Society Winter Meeting, London, December 2014 “Can toenail iodine concentration be used as a biomarker of status?”

Society for Environmental and Geochemistry and Health (SEGH), Newcastle, July 2014 “Iodine status in UK pregnant women and implications for fetal brain development”.

British Thyroid Association Meeting, London, December 2013 “Iodine deficiency in the UK – an update”.

British Dietetic Association, Research Symposium, Birmingham, December 2013 “Development of an evidenced-based iodine food fact sheet for use in the UK”

Nutrition Society Winter Meeting, London, December 2013 “Iodine deficiency in UK schoolchildren”.

Young Scientists’ Forum Competition, Granada, Spain, September 2013 “Effect of maternal iodine deficiency during pregnancy on hearing threshold in the offspring”

Nutrition Society Summer Meeting, Newcastle, July 2013 “Dietary factors that influence maternal iodine status in UK pregnant women”

British Society for Paediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, Leeds, November 2012. Oral presentation “Iodine status in UK pregnant women and implications for fetal brain development”

SET for Britain, House of Commons, London, UK, March 2012. Selected to display poster on “Investigation of the effect of maternal iodine status on cognitive outcomes in the offspring” in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences section

Nutrition Society Winter Meeting, London, UK, December 2011“Maternal iodine status during pregnancy and the impact on cognitive outcomes in the offspring”

European Child Cohort Network (EUCCONET), Bristol, UK, October 2011 “Investigation of the effect of maternal iodine status on cognitive outcomes in the offspring

 

 

 

 

 

SarahSpeaking

Media

Live television interviews

Live radio interviews

BBC Radio 5 live (23/5/13)

Recorded interviews

  • Interview on iodine for BBC Surrey five-day special on the University of Surrey Department of Nutrition, November 2018
  • Interview for BBC Radio 4 In Their Element series – “Awesome iodine”, February 2018

Comments on iodine research in the media

2018: Comment for Reuters on research that iodine deficiency is linked to delayed conception

2015: Comments of research that found low iodine concentration in organic winter milk

Guardian (28/4/15)

Telegraph (28/4/15)

Daily Mail (28/4/15)

2011: Comments on research in the USA that showed vegans are at higher risk of iodine deficiency

Reuters (3/6/11)

 

BBC