Research
Micronutrients & recovery
Food fortification significantly reduces the prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intakes in low-income regions, particularly for iron, vitamin A, and zinc, although its effectiveness varies by region and specific nutrient.
In regions where access to diverse, nutrient-dense foods is limited, supporting or consuming fortified foods (like fortified flour or oil) is a highly effective way to prevent micronutrient deficiencies, especially for iron, vitamin A, and zinc.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Fortification has reduced the estimated prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intakes in all low-income regions, except South Asia... Fortification in sub-Saharan Africa greatly increased estimated intake of iron, vitamin A, and zinc... Fortification in Southeast Asia greatly increased estimated intake of folate, iron, zinc, and thiamin
Why this rating
Based on modeling of national food balance sheets and fortification policies, providing strong ecological evidence.
Source
Global trends in dietary micronutrient supplies and estimated prevalence of inadequate intakes
Ty Beal et al. · PLoS ONE · 2017
DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0175554
cross_sectionalCited 433×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Global dietary micronutrient supplies have improved over the last 50 years, but sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where micronutrient density has declined due to a shift toward lower-density staples like rice and maize.Good
- Calcium, iron, vitamin A, and zinc are the micronutrients with the lowest levels of adequate estimated intake globally, with strong regional variations in which specific nutrients are most deficient.Good
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