A balanced diet is important for the body’s overall development, strengthening immunity and supplying essential nutrients for optimal health; yet, many people do not get enough important vitamins and minerals from their food and beverages. More than half of the world’s population consumes inadequate levels of several micronutrients essential for health, including calcium, iron and vitamins C and E, according to a new study by researchers at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
This is the first study to provide global estimates of inadequate consumption of 15 micronutrients important for human health. The study was published in 2014. The Lancet Global Health On 29th August.
“Our study is a major step forward,” said Chris Free, research professor at UCSB and co-lead author. “Not only because it is the first study to estimate inadequate micronutrient intakes for 34 age-sex groups in nearly every country, but also because it makes these methods and results easily accessible to researchers and clinicians.”
The researchers used data from the Global Dietary Database, the World Bank and dietary recall surveys in 31 countries to compare nutritional requirements and nutritional intakes among populations from 185 countries. (They have made these data, as well as the code for the analysis, freely available.) They divided the populations into 17 age groups: zero to 80 years over a five-year period, as well as an 80+ group. The assessment studied fifteen vitamins and minerals: calcium, iodine, iron, riboflavin, folate, zinc, magnesium, selenium, thiamine, niacin and vitamins A, B6, B12, C and E.
The study found significant deficiencies in intake for almost all evaluated micronutrients, excluding fortification as a potential source of additional nutrients. Inadequate intake was particularly prevalent for iodine (68% of the global population), vitamin E (67%), calcium (66%), and iron (65%). More than half consumed inadequate levels of riboflavin, folate, and vitamins C and B6. Niacin intake was closest to adequate, with 22% of the global population consuming inadequate levels, followed by thiamine (30%) and selenium (37%).
