Food Insecurity and Micronutrient Deficiency in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Food insecurity is a public health problem as it affects a wide array of individuals in the population. It can be characterized by food deprivation, lack of essential nutrition, lack of dietary education, lack of adequate storage conditions, poor absorption, and poor overall nutrition. The relationship between food insecurity and micronutrient deficiency requires more effort to deepen and discuss the relationship. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the association between food insecurity and micronutrient deficiency in adults. The research was conducted according to PRISMA using the Medline/Pubmed, Lilacs/BVS, Embase, Web of Science, and Cinahl databases. Studies carried out with male and female adults were included, which investigated the correlation or association between food insecurity and the nutritional status of micronutrients. There were no publication year, country, or language restrictions. A total of 1148 articles were found, and 18 of these were included, carried out mainly on the American continent and with women. The most evaluated micronutrients were iron and vitamin A. Food insecurity was associated with nutrient deficiency in 89% (n = 16) of the studies. As a result of the meta-analysis, it was observed that there is a greater chance of anemia and low levels of ferritin among food insecure individuals. It is concluded that food insecurity is associated with micronutrient deficiency. Understanding these problems allows the creation of public policies capable of contributing to changes. Protocol registration: This review was registered on the PROSPERO-International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews database—CRD42021257443.

Food insecurity and other barriers to adherence to a gluten-free diet in individuals with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity in the Netherlands: a mixed-methods study

“…Results of our study revealed an association between a lower diet quality and food insecurity. This finding aligns with previous studies that also identified a connection between food insecurity and diet quality(36–38), extending to individuals following a gluten-free diet (24). The observation that only those experiencing very low food security exhibited a lower diet quality in this study, suggests that there may be a nuanced relationship between different levels of food security and diet quality, with very low food security having a more pronounced impact.…”

Nutritional deficiency anemia and post‐acute sequelae in patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection: A six‐month retrospective cohort analysis of 30 892 patients

“…While previous studies have not specifically highlighted the type of anemia, NDA is considered the most common cause 36 . Insufficient consumption of high‐quality food can increase the likelihood of developing micronutrient deficiencies, which in turn contribute to a higher risk of developing NDA 37–39 . NDA management typically includes dietary interventions and supplements, and most studies support the efficacy of these nonpharmaceutical interventions 10–12 .…”

“…36 Insufficient consumption of high-quality food can increase the likelihood of developing micronutrient deficiencies, which in turn contribute to a higher risk of developing NDA. [37][38][39] While these measures assisted in focusing our research on the objective, they may also have limited the broad applicability of our findings. Thus, our results may not be directly applicable to patients with more severe forms of the disease or those infected with different variants of the virus during various stages of the pandemic.…”

Demographic variation and socioeconomic inequalities associated with the triple burden of malnutrition in Vietnamese children aged 6 months to 9 years old: Findings from the Vietnamese General Nutrition Survey 2020

“…In Vietnam, MNDs have been reported to affect nearly 66% of children aged <5 years old, with 56%, 19%, 6% and 14% experiencing iron, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin D deficiencies, respectively (13). Both food insecurity (e.g., energy and nutrient inadequate diets) and micronutrient-poor, energy-dense diets are strongly associated with MNDs (14, 15). This co-occurrence has prompted the term “triple burden of malnutrition” (16).…”