The Case For Micronutrients

Over two billion people, equal to the United States population six times over, suffer from micronutrient deficiencies.  The extent of the worldwide damage is enormous: just consider that these vitamin and mineral deficiencies cause blindness in 500,000 children annually, are responsible for 300,000 neural tube birth defects such as spina bifida, reduce IQ by 10 to 15%, and increase the risk of death from common childhood infections by 23 to 40%.  Zinc deficiencies increase the prevalence of diarrhea by 25%. Diarrhea affects one out of every 3.8 children in the developing world and takes the lives of almost half a million children each year.  Nearly 2% of a developing nation’s gross domestic product is lost through these drains on the healthcare system and from lower productivity – all preventable for only a few cents a year.

Folic Acid, the "wonder drug" for preventing birth defects

There is nothing more effective at preventing birth defects than folic acid, a vitamin B complex.  It was first identified as a means for reducing neural tube defects (NTD) such as spina bifida and anencephaly. Studies have shown that adequate amounts of folic acid during the first five weeks of pregnancy reduce the incidence of NTDs by 72%.  And because folic acid aids in the development of the brainstem and other midline fetal formations, it is now understood to reduce clef lip and palate by 40% and believed to help prevent many cardiac birth defects.

Folic Acid fortification programs costs about five cents per person annually.

Iron, addressing the most urgent need

As many as four billion people may suffer from reduced learning ability and work capacity due to iron deficiency - and two billion people are anemic. Over 40% of the children living in the developing world suffer from iron deficiency anemia, impacting the health of over 500,000 women, and causes over 60,000 childhood deaths each year. Among school children, anemia reduces school performance and even moderate anemia reduces physical work capacity by 5 to 17%.

Iron fortification programs costs about five cents per person annually.

Vitamin A, not just saving children from blindness

Vitamin A deficiency in children has been recognized for years as the leading cause of preventable blindness, leading to 500,000 cases annually; one of the most tragic outcomes from poverty in the developing world. A child goes blind every minute and an adult every five seconds. Over 70% of these children die within a year - yet in 75% of these cases the blindness was either preventable or treatable.

More recently Vitamin A has been shown to help immune systems of women and children. Proper vitamin A levels reduce the risk of death from infections by 23 to 40%, and the risk of death or severe illness from diseases such as malaria or measles increase by 23% in individuals with vitamin A deficiency. This same deficiency also impacts the treatment and long term survival for HIV/AIDS sufferers.

Vitamin A fortification and supplementation programs cost about four cents per child annually.

Iodine, no longer just about goiters

While the benefits of iodine, and the successful introduction of iodine into salt, originally targeted goiters, we now understand that iodine materially affects cognitive development. Iodine deficiency lowers IQ by 10 to 15%, causes cretinism, impairs alertness and concentration among adults, and causes deafness.

While much of the world still lacks adequate access to iodized food (principally salt) iodization programs are an example of how effective food fortification programs can be.  86% of the people living in Latin American and Caribbean countries now consume fortified salt, yet in the least developed countries the percentage drops to 52%.  Between 1990 and today the percent of the population protected by iodine fortification efforts increased from 20% to 70% protecting over 91 million children – but that still leaves 41 million fetuses and infants unprotected, so the work is far from over.

Iodine deficiency is the number one cause of preventable mental retardation and fortification programs cost about two cents per person annually.