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Half of worldwide population consumes inadequate levels of micronutrientsHalf of worldwide population consumes inadequate levels of micronutrients

More than half of the global population consumes inadequate levels of essential micronutrients, according to findings described by the study authors as “alarming”.

Kirstin Knight, Senior Content Editor

October 6, 2024

3 Min Read
Half of worldwide population consumes inadequate levels of micronutrients
© AdobeStock/New Africa

Researchers evaluated intakes for 15 vitamins and minerals – calcium, iodine, iron, riboflavin, folate, zinc, magnesium, selenium, thiamine, niacin, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, and E – and found significant intake inadequacies for nearly all of them.

“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 study, which was published in The Lancet Global Health, is the first to provide global estimates of inadequate consumption of 15 micronutrients critical to human health. 

Inadequate intakes especially common for iodine, vitamin E, calcium, and iron

The researchers, from Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, UC Santa Barbara (UCSB), and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), divided populations into males and females belonging to 17 age groups (zero to 80 years in five-year spans, plus an 80-plus group).

Excluding fortification as a potential source of additional nutrients, inadequate intakes were especially common for iodine (5.1 billion people, or 68% of the global population), vitamin E (67%), calcium (66%), and iron (65%).

Niacin had the lowest estimate of inadequate intake (1.7 billion people, or 22% of the global population), followed by thiamine (30%) and magnesium (31%).

Estimated inadequate intakes were higher for women than men for iodine, vitamin B12, iron, and selenium. Conversely, more men consumed inadequate levels of calcium, niacin, thiamine, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins A, C, and B6.

The researchers also observed that males and females aged between 10 and 30 years were most prone to low levels of calcium intake, especially in South and East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Calcium intake was also low across North America, Europe, and Central Asia.

A few countries diverged from the general trends: in India, for example, estimated inadequate intakes of riboflavin, folate, vitamin B6, and vitamin B12 were especially high.

Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of the Congo had high inadequate niacin intakes, while Russia, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan had high inadequate selenium intakes.

Micronutrient deficiencies: A common form of malnutrition

Micronutrient deficiencies – one of the most common forms of malnutrition globally – are associated with a range of undesirable health outcomes, from adverse pregnancy, to blindness, to increased susceptibility to infectious diseases.

Previous research has estimated the amounts of micronutrients available to and consumed by people; the recent study set out to understand whether these meet the requirements needed for optimum human health.

The team used data from the Global Dietary Database, the World Bank, and dietary recall surveys in 31 countries to compare nutritional requirements with nutritional intake among the populations of 185 countries.

“Our study is a big step forward, 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,” said co-lead author Chris Free, research professor at UCSB.

Senior author Christopher Golden, associate professor of nutrition and planetary health at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, added: “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.”

However, the researchers admitted that a lack of available data, especially on individual dietary intake worldwide, may have limited their findings.

About the Author

Kirstin Knight

Senior Content Editor, Informa Markets

Kirstin Knight is Senior Content Editor for the Food Ingredients portfolio, with a particular focus on Vitafoods Insights. An experienced journalist with a background in news writing and production, she previously worked in the UK press for titles including the i newspaper, inews.co.uk and Metro.

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