New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) More than half the world’s population does not consume enough calcium, iron or vitamins C and E, according to a new study.
The study, published in the Lancet journal, is the first to estimate inadequate intake of 15 micronutrients important for human health at a global level.
Micronutrient deficiencies are the most prevalent type of malnutrition in the world, with numerous negative impacts on health, including blindness, poor pregnancy outcomes, and increased risk of infectious diseases.
Christopher Golden, Associate Professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in the US, said the huge public health challenge facing the world can be addressed by clinicians and policymakers identifying the most effective regimens and directing them to the most vulnerable populations.
“This study is a major step forward. In addition to being the first to estimate inadequate micronutrient intakes for 34 age-sex categories in nearly every country, it also makes these techniques and findings understandable to academics and clinicians,” said Chris Free, research professor at the University of California-Santa Barbara.
A study comparing nutritional requirements and intakes among 185 countries found significant inadequacies in almost all micronutrients except fortification.
Deficiencies were particularly prevalent in iodine (68 percent of the global population), vitamin E (67 percent), calcium (66 percent) and iron (65 percent). More than half were deficient in riboflavin, folate and vitamins C and B6.
Women were found to have low intakes of iodine, vitamin B12, iron and selenium. Men were found to have deficiencies in calcium, niacin, thiamine, zinc, magnesium and vitamins A, C and B6, the study found.
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