2024-09-22 13:17:29
A study has concluded that deficiencies in micronutrients essential for health are one of the most common forms of malnutrition in the world. These include a lack of iodine, vitamin E, calcium or iron, among others.
More than half of the world’s population receives inadequate levels of several micronutrients essential for health, such as calcium, iron, and vitamins C and E, according to a new study by researchers at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health. University of California. in Santa Barbara (UCSB) and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
The study, published in ‘The Lancet Global Health’, is the first to provide global estimates of energy deficiency of 15 micronutrients essential for human health.
Micronutrient deficiencies are one of the most common malnutrition behaviors in the world, and each deficiency produces its own health consequences, from poor pregnancy outcomes to blindness to susceptibility to infectious diseases.
Previous research has evaluated the amount of micronutrients available and consumed by humans; This study examines whether these intakes meet the recommended requirements for human health and examines the deficiencies that specific men and women face throughout their lives.
“Our education is a big step forward. Not only because it is the first to estimate the inadequate intake of micronutrients in 34 age groups and sex groups in all countries, but because it makes these methods and results available to researchers and professionals .the state of Research co-author and UCSB research professorChris Free.
Researchers used data from the World Nutrition Database, the World Bank, and food recall surveys in 31 countries to compare nutritional needs with food intake among populations in 185 countries. They divided populations to men and women belonging to 17 age groups: from 0 to 80 years at five-year intervals, and the group of 80 years and older. The review examined fifteen vitamins and minerals: calcium, iodine, iron, riboflavin, folate, zinc, magnesium, selenium, thiamine, niacin and vitamins A, B6, B12, C and E.
The study discovered an inadequate intake of almost all micronutrients evaluated, without negative as a source of energy of additional foods. Inadequate intake is especially important for iodine (68% of the world’s population), vitamin E (67%), calcium (66%) and iron (65%). More than half of the people have inadequate levels of riboflavin, folate, and vitamins C and B6. Niacin intake is close to adequate, with 22% of the world’s population receiving inadequate levels, followed by thiamine (30%) and selenium (37%).
Estimated inadequate intakes were higher for women than men for iodine, vitamin B12, iron and selenium within the same country and age groups. In contrast, men are inadequate levels of calcium, niacin, thiamine, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and B6 to a greater extent than women.
Although the patterns of micronutrient deficiencies appear most clearly by sex, the researchers also found that men and women aged 10 to 30 years were most likely to have low levels of calcium intake, especially in the South and East- East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Calcium intake is also low in North America, Europe and Central Asia.
“These results are amazing. Most people – even more than previously thought, in all regions and countries of all incomes- they do not consume sufficient amounts of many essential micronutrients. These deficits undermine health outcomes and limit human potential on a global scale. “says GAIN senior science expert Ty Beal.
“The public health challenge we face is great, but professionals and policymakers have the opportunity to identify the most effective nutritional interventions and target them to the populations most in need”additional ones first author Christopher Golden, Associate professor of nutrition and environmental health at Harvard Chan School.
The researchers note that the lack of available data, especially on individual food consumption around the world, may have limited their conclusions. RV. Ana Mera, a pharmacist. Barcelona
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