Micronutrient deficiencies are a prevalent form of malnutrition globally, leading to severe health issues, including adverse pregnancy outcomes, blindness, and increased vulnerability to infectious diseases. While previous research has assessed the availability and consumption of micronutrients, this study uniquely evaluates whether current intake levels meet the recommended requirements for human health. It also examines the specific inadequacies faced by males and females across different age groups.
"Our study is a big step forward," said co-lead author Chris Free, research professor at UCSB. "Not only because it is the first 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 practitioners."
The research utilized data from the Global Dietary Database, the World Bank, and dietary recall surveys from 31 countries to compare the nutritional intake with the recommended requirements in 185 countries. The populations were categorized into 17 age groups ranging from birth to over 80 years, and the analysis included both males and females. The study focused on 15 vitamins and minerals: calcium, iodine, iron, riboflavin, folate, zinc, magnesium, selenium, thiamin, niacin, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, and E.
Findings indicated substantial inadequacies in the intake of nearly all the evaluated micronutrients, with iodine, vitamin E, calcium, and iron being particularly deficient among the global population-68%, 67%, 66%, and 65%, respectively. More than half of the population also failed to consume adequate levels of riboflavin, folate, and vitamins C and B6. Niacin intake was closest to sufficiency, with 22% of the global population falling short, followed by thiamin (30%) and selenium (37%).
The study revealed that women were more likely to have inadequate intakes of iodine, vitamin B12, iron, and selenium compared to men within the same country and age groups. Conversely, men were more likely to have inadequate intakes of calcium, niacin, thiamin, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and B6 compared to women. Additionally, both males and females aged 10-30 were particularly prone to insufficient calcium intake, especially in regions such as South and East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Low calcium intake was also prevalent across North America, Europe, and Central Asia.
"These results are alarming," said Ty Beal, senior technical specialist at GAIN. "Most people-even more than previously thought, across all regions and countries of all incomes-are not consuming enough of multiple essential micronutrients. These gaps compromise health outcomes and limit human potential on a global scale."
"The public health challenge facing us is immense, but practitioners and policymakers have the opportunity to identify the most effective dietary interventions and target them to the populations most in need," added senior author Christopher Golden, associate professor of nutrition and planetary health at Harvard Chan School.
The researchers noted that a lack of available data, particularly on individual dietary intake worldwide, may have influenced their findings.
Simone Passarelli, former doctoral student and postdoctoral research fellow in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard Chan School, served as co-lead author. She received funding from the National Institutes of Health (training grant 2T32DK007703-26).
Research Report:Global estimation of dietary micronutrient inadequacies: a modeling analysis
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