Prevalence of micronutrient deficiency particularly of iron, zinc and folic acid in pregnant women in South East Asia

Abstract

Micronutrient deficiency, whether clinical or subclinical, may affect growth, cognition and reproductive performance. In pregnant women moderate to severe deficiencies of iron, zinc and folic acid have been shown to increase risk of low birth weight, pregnancy complications and birth defects. Any attempt to introduce a micronutrient supplementation programme during pregnancy must be based on adequate data on the prevalence of micronutrient deficiencies, their adverse effects and the potential for reversing these through supplementation. This paper reviews parameters for assessment of iron, zinc and folic acid deficiencies in pregnancy and the available data on prevalence of these in pregnant women in South Asia. Iron deficiency and anemia affect 50 % or more of pregnant women, the prevalence of folic acid deficiency may be up to 30±50 % and there is evidence to suggest that zinc deficiency is likely to be widespread but supportive data are scarce.

Nutritional adequacy of three dietary patterns defined by cluster analysis in 997 pregnant Japanese women: the Osaka Maternal and Child Health Study

“…More than half of all participants were at risk of inadequate intake of several nutrients such as dietary fibre, vitamin B 1 , vitamin B 6 , folate, magnesium, iron, zinc, total fat, SFA and sodium (Table 4). Similar results have been observed in other studies focusing on nutrient intake level conducted in Portugal (22) , South-East Asia (3) , rural China (4) and Japan (5,34) , but not in Greece (6) . Dietary education is therefore needed, not only for specified participants with an unfavourable dietary pattern but for all pregnant women.…”

“…adequacy or inadequacy) of each nutrient intake during pregnancy by comparison with country-specific nutrient recommendations (3)(4)(5)(6) . If nutrient intake is inadequate or excessive, however, it is necessary to know which foods are mediating the nutrient supply so that food supply and nutrition education programmes can be directed effectively towards changing the dietary pattern (7) .…”

Influence of Zinc and Iron Fortification on Yield and Post-Harvest Studies of Different Rice Cultivars (Oryza sativa L.)

“…Approximately onethird of the world's population is suffering from zinc deficiency (Hotz and Brown, 2004). The situation is even more adverse in developing countries where more than half of the children and pregnant women are suffering from iron and zinc deficiencies (Seshadri, 2001). This situation is largely attributed to the high consumption of cereal based foods viz., rice (Oryza sativa L.), wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and maize (Zea mays L.), in these countries (Pfeiffer and McClafferty, 2007).…”

Addressing Female Iron-Deficiency Anaemia in India: Is Vegetarianism the Major Obstacle?

“…Despite increased national and international awareness and recent governmental intervention programs, the prevalence of anaemia among Indian women has remained higher than 45% since 1990, and anaemia trends remain strongly correlated with iron-deficiency [11][12][13][14]. A 2007 Indian government "12 by 12 initiative", aimed at ensuring that all Indian adolescents have 12 g/dL haemoglobin by 2012, listed the main causes of anaemia in India as low dietary intake, poor availability of iron, chronic blood loss due to hookworm infestation, and malaria [15].…”