Nutrients such as iron and calcium are critical for blood and bones. We need iodine to produce enough hormones for metabolism, while vitamin E helps us to have a good immune system. Not to mention vitamin C – it’s good for a little bit of everything. But here we are far from good enough, say researchers. In a new study, they reveal that more than half of the world’s population does not get enough of seven important nutrients. Estimates show that over 5 billion people do not eat enough iodine, vitamin E or calcium. While more than 4 billion people in the world are said to lack iron, riboflavin, folate and vitamin C. The study includes 185 countries, and is published in the renowned journal The Lancet. Further down in the article, you can see what you should eat to get enough of the various nutrients. – Alarming – These results are alarming. Most of us, regardless of country and economy, do not get enough of these essential nutrients. This affects our health, says Ty Beal in a press release. He is one of the researchers behind the study and is employed by the “Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition” in Switzerland. According to FHI, parts of the population in Norway are deficient in vitamin D, iodine and iron. We also eat too much saturated fat, sugar and salt. To find results, the researchers used what they call a modeling analysis. They obtained the data they needed from the Global Dietary Database, the World Bank and various dietary surveys in 31 countries. In this way, they were able to compare nutritional needs with nutrient intake among the population of 185 countries. They studied men and women separately. People were also divided into 17 different age groups. In the survey, a total of 15 vitamins and minerals were studied: calcium, iodine, iron, riboflavin, folate, zinc, magnesium, selenium, thiamin, niacin and vitamins A, B6, B12, C and E. We don’t eat enough of the healthy foods – This was an exciting study that really shows that a lack of several nutrients is quite widespread. That’s what Marianne Hope Abel says to news. She is a researcher at the Center for Sustainable Diet at the Institute of Public Health (FHI). The researcher points out that although large parts of the world’s population have access to enough food, malnutrition is very widespread. But are people sufficiently informed about which nutrients they should have in their diet? – A bit boring to say, a healthy and varied diet in line with the dietary guidelines will be a good guarantee that you get a sufficient amount of the vast majority of vitamins and minerals, says Abel. In summary, the most important thing is to make sure that you eat healthy and varied and limit your intake of food with a lot of “empty calories”, says the FHI researcher. Photo: Monica Ruiz Biern / news Ideally, one should therefore not need to go around thinking about every single vitamin and mineral. – However, our dietary surveys show that few people consume the recommended amounts of healthy food. Such as fruit, vegetables, whole grains, fish and skimmed milk. And then you may have an increased risk of getting too little of one or more nutrients. Abel points out that the data used from Norway in the new study is from the year 2000. – So they do not necessarily give a 100 per cent correct picture of the status as of today. What and why Here is a list of why the seven nutrients, of which we worldwide eat too little, are important. In addition, you will get some tips on what you can eat to get them: Calcium: ● Important for strong bones and good for your general health. You can find calcium in dairy products, in soy, almond and rice-based alternatives. You can get calcium by, among other things, eating dark leafy vegetables, tofu, sardines, salmon and oranges. Folate: ● Important for the formation of red blood cells and cell growth – especially during pregnancy. You get folate via dark green vegetables, beans, peas, lentils and grains. Iodine: ● It is important for thyroid function, as well as bone and brain development. You can find iodine in fish, seaweed, prawns, dairy products, eggs and iodised salt. Iron: ● Ensures the supply of oxygen to the body, as well as growth and development. Iron is found in oysters, duck, beef, sardines, crab, lamb, certain grains, spinach, artichokes, beans, lentils, dark leafy vegetables and potatoes. Magnesium: ● It is good for, among other things, our muscle and nerve function, blood sugar, blood pressure and the production of protein. You can find it in legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains and green leafy vegetables. Niacin, vitamin B3: ● It is important for the nervous and digestive system, and you can find it in beef, chicken, turkey, brown rice, pumpkin seeds, salmon and whole grains. Riboflavin: ● Important vitamin for skin and hair. It helps us convert food into energy and it is important for our immune system. It is found in eggs, dairy products, meat, grains and green vegetables. You can get iodine by eating fish. You can also eat prawns, crab and crayfish. Photo: Scanpix / Scanpix Some shortcomings The new study has some limitations, according to the researchers and other experts. Because it is not easy to get a good overview of individual food intake worldwide. The study also does not include the consumption of nutritional supplements and food to which extra vitamins have been added. Therefore, it may be that some of the shortcomings that are pointed out are not as bad as the data suggests. But eating food supplements is not common in all countries either. They are also criticized for omitting potassium from the survey. In the United States, too little intake of this mineral is supposed to be a problem in the population. 24/9: In the first version of this case, there was beef in two places in the article. This has been changed to beef, which is more comprehensive in terms of where you find iron, B3 and niacin. Published 23/09/2024, at 22.37 Updated 24.09.2024, at 10.00
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Over half of the world’s population does not eat enough of seven important nutrients – news Trøndelag – Local news, TV and radio
