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Nutrients such as iron and calcium are essential for blood and bone health, respectively. But more than half of the world’s population is not eating enough of these and five other nutrients that are critical to human health, according to a new study.
More than 5 billion people do not eat enough iodine, vitamin E or calcium, found the study published August 29 in the journal The Lancet Global Health. And more than 4 billion people have insufficient intake of iron, riboflavin, folate and vitamin C.
“Our study is a major step forward,” said study co-author Dr. Christopher Free, assistant researcher at the Institute of Marine Science and the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in a news release. . Also free specialization in human nutrition.
That’s “not only because it’s the first to estimate inadequate micronutrient intakes for 34 age groups in nearly every country,” said Free, “but also because it makes these methods and results easily accessible to researchers and practitioners .”
Previous studies have assessed global deficiencies in micronutrients or inadequate supplies of foods containing them, but no global estimates of adequate intake based on dietary needs were considered, according to the latest study.
For these reasons, the research team estimated the prevalence of inadequate intakes of 15 micronutrients among 185 countries, or 99.3% of the population. They did so by modeling — applying a “globally harmonized set of age-specific and sex-specific nutrient requirements” to data from the 2018 Global Nutrition Database, which provides estimates of intake based on data from individual surveys, household surveys and national food supplies.
The authors also found differences between women and men. Women were more likely than men to not eat enough iodine, vitamin B12, iron and selenium. Men, however, did not get enough magnesium, zinc, thiamin, niacin and vitamins A, B6 and C.
There were also geographical patterns. In India, inadequate intakes of riboflavin, folate and vitamins B6 and B12 were particularly high, while poor calcium intake was highest in southern and eastern Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and the Pacific.
“These results are alarming,” study author Ty Beal, senior technical specialist at the Switzerland-based Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, said in the news release. “Most people – more than previously thought, across all income regions and countries – are not consuming enough essential micronutrients. These gaps affect health outcomes and limit human potential on a global scale.”
While the results are unique, they are consistent with what other, smaller country-specific studies have found over the years, said Dr. Lauren Sastre, assistant professor of nutritional science and director of the Farm to Program. Clinic at East Carolina University in North Carolina, via email. .
“This is a valuable study,” said Sastre, who was not involved in the research.
The study has several important limitations. For one thing, since the research does not include the consumption of supplements and fortified foods, some of the inadequacies found in the study may not be as bad in real life if some people are consuming supplements and fortified foods that increase theoretically their certain intake. nutrients, the authors said. However, supplementation and fortification with many of the other studied nutrients is uncommon worldwide, the authors said.
But 89% of people around the world eat iodized salt, according to UNICEF. “Thus, iodine may be the only nutrient for which insufficient dietary intake is overestimated,” the authors said, referring to their findings.
“My only criticism is that they left out potassium, citing a lack of standards,” Sastre said. “We definitely have a (recommended daily amount) of potassium in the United States, and most people aren’t eating nearly enough. And it needs to be balanced with sodium. We have people who consume too much sodium, and not nearly enough potassium which is essential for blood pressure (and) heart health.”
In addition, more complete information on individual dietary intake worldwide is scarce, especially data sets that are nationally representative or that contain more than two days of intake, the researchers said. This scarcity limits researchers’ ability to validate their modeled estimates.
And while the team measured inadequate intakes, it didn’t have data on whether those were caused by deficiencies that a doctor or dietitian must diagnose based on blood tests and/or symptoms.
Dietitians and physicians can help you determine if you are getting enough of certain vitamins or minerals or if you have deficiencies proven by a blood test.
“Micronutrients play critical roles in cellular function, immunity (and) metabolism,” Sastre said. “However, we are not eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains – where they are found. We must adhere to the American Heart Association’s recommendation to “eat the rainbow.”
Here is a list of why the seven nutrients with the lowest global intake are important and some of the foods they are rich in:
1. Calcium
● Important for strong bones and overall health
● Found in dairy products and fortified soy, almond or rice based options; Dark leafy greens; tofu; sardines; salmon; tahini; and fortified orange or grapefruit juice
2. Folate
● Important for red blood cell formation and cell growth and function, especially during pregnancy
● Found in dark green vegetables, beans, peas, lentils and fortified grains such as bread, pasta, rice and cereal
3. Iodine
● Important for thyroid function and bone and brain development
● Found in fish, seaweed, shrimp, dairy products, eggs and iodized salt
4. Iron
● Important for oxygen delivery to the body as well as growth and development
● Found in oysters, duck, beef, sardines, crab, lamb, fortified cereals, spinach, artichokes, beans, lentils, leafy greens and potatoes
5. Magnesium
● Important for muscle and nerve function, blood sugar, blood pressure, and protein, bone and DNA formation
● Found in legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, green leafy vegetables and fortified cereals
6. Niacin
● Important for the nervous system and the digestive system
● Found in beef, chicken, marinara sauce, turkey, brown rice, pumpkin seeds, salmon and fortified cereals
7. Riboflavin
● Important for food metabolism for energy, the immune system and healthy skin and hair
● Found in eggs, dairy products, meat, grains and green vegetables
