Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: A recent study published in The Lancet Global Health journal has revealed that individuals across all age groups in India, both men and women, are consuming insufficient amounts of essential micronutrients, particularly iron, calcium, and folate. The study highlights a concerning trend in the country’s nutritional landscape, with widespread deficiencies affecting the health of millions.
Conducted by an international team, including researchers from Harvard University, this study is the first to provide comprehensive estimates of insufficient intake of 15 micronutrients across 185 countries. The researchers focused on diets that did not include supplements, offering a clearer picture of natural dietary deficiencies.
Globally, the findings suggest that nearly 70 percent of the world’s population, or over five billion people, are not consuming enough iodine, vitamin E, and calcium. The study also highlights gender-based differences in nutrient deficiencies within countries. In India, for example, women were found to consume inadequate amounts of iodine more frequently than men, while men had higher rates of insufficient zinc and magnesium intake compared to women.
The study further revealed that men and women aged 10-30 years, particularly in regions like South Asia, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, are most prone to low calcium intake. These findings underscore the urgent need for targeted dietary interventions to address these gaps.
While previous analyses over the past decade have examined micronutrient deficiencies, significant data gaps remain for many nutrients and population groups. This study utilized publicly available data from the Global Dietary Database to estimate the prevalence of insufficient nutrient intake for 99.3 percent of the global population.
The authors of the study noted that the results might overestimate deficiencies in certain areas where fortified foods and supplements are widely consumed, as these factors were not accounted for in the analysis. However, the findings offer crucial insights that can help public health professionals design effective nutritional interventions for populations most at risk.
