Diet Quality Matters

Vitamin and Mineral Adequacy
Micronutrient undernutrition can impact both the length and quality of life by increasing the risk of morbidity and mortality. Problems of deficiencies among women and very young children are best documented for seven micronutrients: iron, iodine, vitamin A, zinc, folate, vitamin D and calcium. These vitamins and minerals enable us to use the energy provided by foods; build, maintain and repair cell and tissue structures; and perform critical biochemical transformations. An adequate intake of vitamins and minerals is particularly important for adolescent girls in preparation for motherhood, during the childbearing years of all women (above all while they are pregnant and lactating), and for infants and children for at least the first two years after birth. During these critical periods, diet quality can have far-reaching effects on growth (including stature), development (including brain functions and learning ability), and immune responses to infections and disease.

Global estimates of the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies vary by nutrient. The most reliable, quantitative estimates of deficiencies indicate that over 700 million people are affected by iodine deficiency disorders, 250 million children to five years of age are affected by and at risk for vitamin A deficiency, and roughly 40% of children to five years of age in developing countries and women worldwide are iron-deficient or anemic.

Key Messages

• Dietary quality is important for health today and in the future.
• There are many ways to improve the quality of the diet and to obtain an adequate amount of vitamins and minerals from foods.
• Efforts to improve diet quality should focus on the diet as a whole, not on single vitamins or minerals.
  Fortified foods or supplements sometimes are needed.

Recommendations

• Using available information, provide guidance for selecting, combining, preparing and serving micronutrient-rich foods to improve diet quality.
• Improve access to and use of foods that are rich in vitamins and minerals, using methods that are compatible with local dietary patterns and cultural values.
• Where it is not possible to meet all needs through available food sources, including fortified foods, ensure the availability of appropriate specific vitamin and mineral supplements for women of childbearing age, infants and young children.

Strategies to support these recommendations include the assessment of current dietary practices and availability of micronutrient-dense foods (including fortified foods) for the target group, the development of teaching tools and support of home-based or community-based production of micronutrient-rich foods.