Nutrition (Unsplash)
A new study by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, UC Santa Barbara, and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) reveals that over half the world’s population is deficient in essential micronutrients like calcium, iron, vitamins C and E. This is the first comprehensive analysis of inadequate consumption for 15 crucial micronutrients.
Researchers also found micronutrient inadequacies may be more severe than previously thought and may differ between males and females. The results of their study, they say, provide a roadmap for taking action by showing which population groups are at risk of deficiency for specific nutrients.
“Our study is a big step forward,” said co-lead author Chris Free, research professor at UC Santa Barbara. “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.”
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The researchers analyzed data from the Global Dietary Database, the World Bank, and dietary recall surveys in 31 countries. They compared the nutritional needs of people in 185 countries to their actual dietary intake. (The data and analysis code are publicly available.) They divided the population into males and females across 17 age groups: from zero to 80 in five-year increments, and an 80+ group. The assessment focused on fifteen vitamins and minerals: calcium, iodine, iron, riboflavin, folate, zinc, magnesium, selenium, thiamin, niacin, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, and E.
The study found significant intake inadequacies for nearly all of the evaluated micronutrients, excluding fortification as a potential source of additional nutrients. Inadequate intake was especially prevalent for iodine (68% of the global population), vitamin E (67%), calcium (66%), and iron (65%). More than half of people consumed inadequate levels of riboflavin, folate, and vitamins C and B6. Intake of niacin was closest to sufficient, with 22% of the global population consuming inadequate levels, followed by thiamin (30%) and selenium (37%).
“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.
