Most of the World’s Population Lacks Some Essential Micronutrients
Billions of people are consuming a nutritionally insufficient diet leaving them more vulnerable to poor health.
Nutrients such as iron and calcium are critical for good health, but a big portion of the world’s population is coming up short in them. Research published in the journal The Lancet Global Health found that more than 4 billion people worldwide are not consuming enough of the critical nutrients iodine, calcium, iron, folate, riboflavin, and vitamins C and E. The findings included data from 185 countries and highlight potentially significant global health impacts due to the inadequate intake of several essential micronutrients. Notably, this study is the first to estimate inadequate micronutrient intake for 34 age-sex groups in nearly every country. The investigators identified some geographic patterns: In India, insufficient intakes of riboflavin, folate, and vitamins B6 and B12 were especially high, while poor calcium intake was highest in South and East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Pacific.
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD
Matthew Kadey, MS, RD, is a James Beard Award–winning food journalist, dietitian and author of the cookbook Rocket Fuel: Power-Packed Food for Sport + Adventure (VeloPress 2016). He has written for dozens of magazines, including Runner’s World, Men’s Health, Shape, Men’s Fitness and Muscle and Fitness.
