More than half of the global population does not consume adequate levels of micronutrients essential to health, including iron, calcium, and vitamins C and E, according to a Lancet study published in August 2024 by researchers at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, UC Santa Barbara, and the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
It is the first study to provide global estimates of inadequate consumption of micronutrients critical to human health. The 15 micronutrients tested were calcium, iodine, iron, riboflavin, folate, zinc, magnesium, selenium, thiamin, niacin, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, and E.
Micronutrient deficiencies are one of the most common forms of malnutrition globally, and each deficiency carries its own health consequences, from adverse pregnancy outcomes to blindness to increased susceptibility to infectious diseases.
Micronutrient deficiencies and their consequences:
- Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia. It can also lead to impaired cognition, poor memory, hair loss (click here to read more on hair loss) and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
- Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness globally. It also affects night vision, fertility and skin.
- Calcium keeps our bones strong, and it also helps control muscle and nerve function as well as regulate our heartbeat. Calcium deficiency can lead to muscle spasm or cramping, tingling, burning sensation around the mouth and fingers, facial spasms, tics, seizures, and tremors.
- Zinc deficiency affects fertility, growth and development in children, as well as immune function.
- Folate is needed early in pregnancy to reduce the risk of stillbirths and neural tube defects. It helps make DNA (low serum folate levels have been linked to cervical dysplasia) and produce red blood cells, so a folate deficiency can be detrimental to health, especially if you are trying to conceive. Vitamin B12 is crucial to healthy nerve signaling and red blood cell production, but we get less efficient at absorbing it as we age. Vegans and vegetarians are also at higher risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, since plants don’t contain the vitamin. A vitamin B12 deficiency can cause numbness, muscle weakness as well as psychological problems, which can range from mild depression or anxiety, to confusion and dementia.
- Iodine is essential for pregnant and breastfeeding women because of its role in fetal and child cognitive development. An iodine deficiency can lead to thyroid problems, goiter and impaired mental function.
Vitamins and minerals can obtained through a balanced diet that includes nutrient-dense whole foods. If you are deficient in certain nutrients, you may need higher levels than what is typically found in a multi-vitamin supplement. If nutrient-dense whole foods are absent from your diet, if you have digestive problems (that may affect nutrient absorption) or if you suspect you have nutrient deficiencies, talk to your healthcare practitioner about getting tested and treated.
SOURCE: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X(24)00276-6/fulltext
Dr. Ardyce Yik ND 