New Delhi: Indians across all age groups are believed to be deficient in iron, calcium, and folate, which are essential for health, because of inadequate consumption of micronutrients, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health journal.
Micronutrients, which include vitamins and minerals, play a significant role in maintaining proper bodily functions. They are essential in smaller amounts like fats and carbohydrates are vital components for good health.
The study, conducted by Harvard University, shows the insufficient consumption of 15 micronutrients taken through a regular diet without any additional supplements, among 185 countries. Across the world, there are over five billion people whose diets do not include iodine, vitamin E, and calcium, according to the researchers.
In India, women intake less iodine compared to men, as per the study. It also noted that males consume less zinc and magnesium in comparison to women.
Males and females aged between 10 to 30 years suffer from low calcium intake, especially in South Asia, Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, according to the study. Calcium consumption was also said to be low in regions like North America, Europe, and Central Asia.
Researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), stated micronutrient deficiencies are the most common type of malnutrition at the global level.
“Each deficiency carries its own health consequences, from adverse pregnancy outcomes to blindness, to increased susceptibility to infectious diseases,” the researchers said.
In this study, the authors used data available from global dietary sources, to calculate the insufficient nutrient intake for 99.3 per cent of the world population.
This research shows us that the key micronutrients – Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B, Vitamin D, and minerals like iron, calcium, folate, sodium, zinc, and many more – which are important for our well-being are not being consumed adequately.
