Micronutrient Deficiencies

Micronutrient Deficiencies: Causes, Impacts and Interventions

• Micronutrients are essential elements required by organisms to maintain health. They include vitamins and dietary minerals.
• Humans and animals require 13 minerals which originate from Earth's soil and are not synthesized by living organisms.
• Micronutrient deficiencies are a public health problem worldwide that can lead to impaired growth and neurodevelopment, perinatal complications, and increased risk of morbidity and mortality.
• Women of reproductive age, children and adolescents, and the elderly are among the most vulnerable populations to micronutrient deficiencies.
• Salt iodization is the recommended strategy for ensuring adequate human iodine intake.
• Vitamin A supplementation is recommended for children aged 6-59 months in areas with vitamin A deficiency.
• Double-fortified salt is a public health tool for delivering nutritional iron, developed by Venkatesh Mannar and Levente Diosady.
• Micronutrient-enriched fertilizers can have an impact on plant deficiencies and on humans and animals through the food chain.
• Zinc fertilization can increase crop yields, and zinc-enriched wheat can address zinc deficiencies in humans.
• Biofortification of crop plants is being used to address micronutrient deficiencies in regions of poverty and malnutrition.
• Golden rice is a genetically modified rice that has been fortified with beta-carotene to supply countries with Vitamin A deficiencies.
• Priority programs to address micronutrient deficiencies include supplementation, food fortification, staple food fortification, biofortification, and behavior-centered nutrition education.