Discuss micronutrient deficiency in the developing world and why it is economically feasible to conduct widespread supplementation.
What are micronutrients? Micronutrients, otherwise known as vitamins and minerals, include those such as vitamin C, A, D, E, and the B-complex vitamins. Micronutrients also include such minerals as fluoride, selenium, sodium, iodine, copper and zinc. We in the United States takes these for granted as many of our foods are micronutrient fortified and supplements are readily available in drug stores, supermarkets, retail outlets, online, through radio ads, etc.. Unfortunately much of the world does not have this type of access and this often leads to population adversity in developing countries.
Micronutrient deficiency impacts approximately 2 billion people worldwide. The major micronutrient deficiencies which are of public health importance include deficiencies in vitamin A, iron and iodine. Deficiency of these micronutrients cause a variety of morbidities and increased mortality which is most severe in children, adolescent girls and pregnant women (Dario & Ige, 2009). Vitamin A deficiency is the leading preventable cause of pediatric blindness. Zinc, an essential mineral for growth and development, is important in fighting infectious diseases that also greatly affect morbidity and mortality statistics. Iron deficiency, a leading cause of anemia, is considered the most common micronutrient deficiency worldwide (Merson, Black, & Mills, 2012). At the 1990 United Nations (UN), the children’s summit UN pledged to reduce child mortality. By 2000 however 10.6 million children were still dying yearly. These deaths were primarily due to pneumonia, diarrhea, neonatal causes and in sub-Saharan Africa, malari...
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...e most cost-effective intervention for children. Iron fortification and salt iodization were the second most cost-effective strategy, while biofortification came in third (Horton, Alderman and Rivera, 2008).
Efforts to decrease micronutrient deficiencies in the developing world have obvious merit. Any and all opportunities to decrease incidence of disease, preventable injury or related mortality must be pursued. Malnutrition leads to decreased growth and development, increased illness and from a dollars perspective, decreased population productivity. It's challenging to quantify in dollars the saving of a life, or the prevention of suffering. It is evident from the above stated cost/benefit data that there is an economic benefit for every preventative dollar spent. Widespread supplementation appears to not only be economically feasible but also a moral imperative.
In the year 2010, the documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead was released. In the film, Australian native Joe Cross has realized that his health is worsening very fast. So Cross finally decides that he will turn his life around by taking an extreme diet that will deprive him of macronutrients for 60 days. Macronutrients are nutrients found in foods other than fruits and vegetables. Micronutrients are those nutrients found in fruits and vegetables. Micronutrients provide minerals such as Vitamin A, Iodine, Iron, Folate, and Zinc. While the body does not need these in large amounts, they are essential to the body because they help develop disease prevention and promote well-being. Micronutrients are important to include
Each of the three major macronutrients — proteins, fats and carb — has important and distinct roles in the body when it comes to weight management, hormonal balance, immunity, development and so on. Here are some of the most important reasons why we need each macronutrient:
“For each day, farmers grow 2,800 calories per person on the planet,” but then why do we still have such huge amounts of people who have too little to eat. It is important to know what is hunger and undernourishment. Undernourishment always describe as a long-term hunger and hunger could be a physical condition marked by stomach pangs and general fatigue (Stone,2014). The most important reason that people have too little to eat, is in some regions, they don’t have the access to deliver the food and the place has been isolated for a long time, and the development agencies find it hard to get the food in and data out (Stone,2014). In other words, the food often doesn’t get to the people who really need it. As we can see in fig.1 and fig.2, fortunately, all the data represents that the overall number of undernourished people around the world had gone down. So that means more and more people will get a help and change their life
Micronutrient Malnutrition is a crucial health issue worldwide. More than 50% of the world population suffer from micronutrient malnutrition and are mostly in underdeveloped nations. Micronutrient malnutrition or hidden hunger occurs not only because of not enough of food intake but the food is not containing sufficient micronutrient. In the developing countries, the dietary foods based on the cereals which are rich in carbohydrate but contains a few minerals and micronutrients. Moreover, monotonous diet (Hefferon, 2015) and low consumption of meat and meat products cause micronutrient malnutrition more severe. There is four critical micronutrient malnutrition: iron, zinc, iodine and vitamin A. The most prevalent micronutrient
Chronic food shortages are widespread, and malnutrition levels among young children are high. These statistics are slightly higher in rural as opposed to urban areas.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Macronutrients are the energy- containing, needed in higher amounts, also it provides calories, like carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Micronutrients are the non- energy containing, needed in smaller amounts, like vitamins and minerals, that doesn’t provide calories, which give us the energy in our human body (Shearer). We need the vitamins and minerals in our body to use the carbohydrate, fat, and protein. In addition, vitamins and minerals are part of the enzymes that speed up the chemical reaction in the body. Their deficiencies can lead to: fatigue, stunted growth, weak bones, and organ damage of the eyes, skin, and liver (Shearer).
Niger and Sierra Leone, the two poorest countries in the world only have a GDP of around 500 dollars per capita. Which, compared to Canada’s 27,000 dollars per capita, is considerably low. In the 48 poorest countries, an average of 2$ a day is made by each working person. Imagine living off 2$ a day in Canada, you couldn’t even buy a Big Mac and a drink for 2$. This is making starvation a very serious problem in 3rd-world countries, not to mention their low immune systems, used for preventing disease, not working right from the lack of nutrition.
This deficiency is a risk factor in child development as it affects the central nervous system which can even lead to mental retardation in extreme cases (Walker, 2007). Iron deficiency also contributes to many developmental issues caused by changing the brains metabolism as well as the makeup of genes and proteins. This can also be seen at the prenatal level (Walker, 2007). Current programs try to address this problem by informing women about this issue which has resulted in an increase in the purchase of iron supplements in Latin America, the Caribbean, South/Southeast Asia but not as common in sub-Saharan Africa (Wang, 2011). Although the prevalence of using iron supplements in sub-Saharan Africa is lower than other countries, studies do show a large increase in purchasing which will be addressing the dangerously high levels of anemia in mothers and their children (Wang,
Even though there is such a large food production in India and they are one of the world’s largest food exporters, still so many go hungry. India’s economy has boomed in the past decades, creating an even larger gap between rich and poor.Even though their middle and upper class outnumber their poor, the population is so large that the amount of people below the poverty line is unprecedented. Malnutrition of the poor is India’s largest downfall in the area of food security and nutrition. It is more common for undernutrition to occur in rural areas of India, but it even happens in cities. According to Unicef, out of the 20% of children worldwide that are “wasting” (a person or a part of the body becoming progressively weaker and more emaciated), over one third are Indian citizens. If just regarding children under the age of five years old, 43% are underweight, and 48% (or 61 million children) have stunted growth due to malnutrition. Lack of education is a large contributor to the vast disparity of nutritional security. Children whose mothers have less than 12 years of school education are five times more likely to be
Food insecurity and poor nutrition is an alarmingly large problem for low income families, especially in developing countries. Many strategies exist to fight this problem, although not many of these address all the factors contributing to it along with all the possible solutions to solve it. In many cases, multiple strategies must correlate and work together so that all the determinants of this issue are addressed and can fight food insecurity from different angles. This essay will discuss the significance of the problem, a range of possible strategies to solve the problem, and go into detail on a select few that will correlate and work together to solve different factors of food insecurity and poor nutrition.
The human body requires small amounts of nutrients in microgram or milligram quantities in our diet because it cannot synthesize the necessary amounts on its own. These nutrients are considered micronutrients. Micronutrients are a combination of water, vitamins, and minerals. Vitamins are organic compounds that do not provide energy, but are essential to the body in helping “aid in metabolism, as well as the growth, development and maintenance of body tissues” (Byrd-Bredbenner, Moe and Beshgetoor 402). Vitamins are broken down into two groups, water-soluble and fat-soluble. The water-soluble vitamins are the B-vitamins, and vitamin C. The fat-soluble vitamins are A, D, E, and K. Minerals are needed in even smaller amounts, however these inorganic substances are necessary for “cell metabolism, nerve impulse transmission and growth and development” (Byrd-Bredbenner, Moe and Beshgetoor 485). Minerals can be categorized into major or trace minerals. The major minerals include Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Calcium, Phosphorus, Magnesium, and Sulfur. Trace minerals are Iron, Zinc, Copper, Manganese, Iodine, Selenium, Chromium, Fluoride, Molybdenum and Ultratrace minerals.
If you frequent health forums or fitness blogs, you'll have read the word “macros” before. The word is short for macronutrients. That leads to the question, “what are macronutrients?”
“Malnourished children are 20% less literate than those with a healthier diet, says UK charity Save the Children” (The Information Daily). When parents become victims of poverty it can have some very unpleasing long and short term effects to their children. Parents in poverty have a lot on their plate and buying the best quality food or affording enough food can be a tumultuous task. Quality nutrition is essential for the development of the brain. At a young age, poor nutrition or not enough nutrition can seriously hinder “the brain 's development, a child’s ability to learn and has a devastating impact on a child’s future”(The Information Daily). “Malnutrition in the early developmental stages of the brain, by restricting the children’s cognitive growth, can lower a child 's IQ has much has 20 points”(The Information Daily). Long term effects of malnutrition leave permanent damage to the brain, however, malnutrition has short term effects as well. Malnourishment can greatly compromise a child’s immune system, making them more susceptible to infectious diseases. “Low counts of zinc, iron and vitamin A are commonly associated with weakened immune function” (Orphan Nutrition). A deadly infection can have a huge impact on a poverty stricken family leading to less affordability. Malnutrition negatively affects a student throughout their educational
This can not be done with the same ineffective tactics that were used in the past, so that’s why people are developing new ways to eradicate hunger. When the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) was held, they discussed the nutrition component and how important it is that it is not overlooked. By paying attention to nutrient-dense foods and recognizing the different entry points for improving nutrition, the ICN2 argues the world will be one step closer in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal. Some of the entry points they discussed include “the promotion of crop diversification…, strengthening local food production and processing, and exploring regulatory or voluntary instruments for promoting healthy diets” (goals 2). Promoting the nutrition aspect of the goal can help achieve it because nutrients are what keep people alive and
Plant nutrition is area of plant biology that is of the utmost importance for the proliferation of plants. Without proper nutrition, plants would simply cease to exist unless drastic alterations were made. There are certain elements that are required for the plant to grow and reproduce; these elements are known as essential elements. There are three requirements of an essential element: the element must be required for the completion of the plant’s life cycle, the element must not be replaceable by another element in whole, and finally the element must be direction involved in the metabolism of the plant. Chemical compounds that are involved in proper nutrition have been designated as nutrients, and further classified as macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients are needed for growth, metabolism, and many other functions, but are designated as “macro” because they are required in larger amounts. Macronutrients include carbohydrates, proteins, and fat molecules. Micronutrients have a much wider function that depends on the exact micronutrient. Micronutrients are designated as so because they are needed in much smaller amounts when compared to macronutrients. Examples of micronutrients include vitamins and minerals.