Micronutrients & recovery
Global estimates indicate that more than 5 billion people do not consume enough iodine, vitamin E, or calcium, and more than 4 billion do not consume enough iron, riboflavin, folate, or vitamin C, based on dietary intake data excluding fortification and supplementation.
This analysis highlights that despite global efforts, a significant portion of the world's population does not get enough essential micronutrients like iodine, calcium, iron, and vitamins from food alone. Public health strategies need to target these specific gaps, potentially through fortification, supplementation, or dietary diversification, especially in regions with high inadequacy rates.
On the basis of estimates of nutrient intake from food (excluding fortification and supplementation), more than 5 billion people do not consume enough iodine (68% of the global population), vitamin E (67%), and calcium (66%). More than 4 billion people do not consume enough iron (65%), riboflavin (55%), folate (54%), and vitamin C (53%).
Why this rating
Large-scale modelling analysis covering 99.3% of the global population using harmonized data, though limited by data availability in some regions.
Source
Global estimation of dietary micronutrient inadequacies: a modelling analysis
Simone Passarelli et al. · The Lancet Global Health · 2024
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