Half of pre-school-age children are suffering vitamin and mineral deficiencies, according to a research paper published in Lancet Global Health.
And 66 per cent of women in child-bearing age are similarly deficient in vitamins and minerals.
Lynnette Neufeld, director of Food and Nutrition Division at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said “diets that don’t provide the right levels of vitamins and minerals can compromise your immune system, impair your cognition and school performance, decrease your work productivity, and may contribute to risks of non-communicable diseases such as heart problems.
“This is a widespread problem, impacting individuals, families and communities everywhere in the world, although particularly in lower income countries.”
The study vastly increases the number of people believed to be suffering from malnutrition. Before these findings, the estimate was two billion people.
The research team was a led by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN),through the United States AID agency’s Advancing Nutrition project, along with a team of global micronutrient experts, including an advisory panel brought together by the Micronutrient Forum.
Micronutrient deficiencies are highest in lower income countries because diets often lack a diversity of nutrient-rich foods and tend to rely on a large share of calories from rice, wheat, maize or similar staple foods.
Ninety per cent of women in several countries in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa are deficient.
However, deficiencies are surprisingly high even in high-income countries. In the U.S. and the United Kingdom, for example, between one third and one half of women of reproductive age are deficient in one or more micronutrients. In high-income countries this is likely the result of diets high in processed but micronutrient-poor foods, rather than reliance on a single staple as in many lower income countries.
Saskia Osendarp, executive director, Micronutrient Forum, said “there are very clear solutions. We need to ensure everyone has access to a variety of micronutrient-dense foods, including animal-source foods, dark green leafy vegetables and beans, lentils or peas.
“Food fortification can help make up the difference when healthy diets are unaffordable or accessible. Health programs can provide supplements to those with extra needs, such as pregnant women and malnourished children,” she said.
It might sound simple, but realizing these solutions is not easy because our food systems are not fit for purpose, and increasingly less so, the research team said.
These issues have existed for a long time—and urgently need to be addressed. The issues are now exacerbated by the long-term impact of climate change, the lasting damage to supply chains caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and the imminent economic downturn, all coming together to create major challenges.
The authors said all of us have to work together now to implement lasting solutions to ensure everyone has the nutritious and healthy diet they need to reach their potential now and in the future.
