More than half the world malnourished—and that includes the wealthy West

More than half the world is malnourished—and that includes people living in the wealthy nations of the West.

People are not consuming enough micronutrients that sustain health, a major review of 185 countries has discovered.

Most people have low levels of around 15 micronutrients, including calcium, iron and vitamins C and E, and the level of malnutrition could explain the epidemic of chronic disease around the world, say researchers from Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health.

“These results are alarming.  Most people—even more than previously thought, across all regions and countries of all incomes—are not consuming enough of multiple essential micronutrients, and these gaps compromise health outcomes and limit human potential on a global scale,” said Ty Beal, one of the researchers.

Most people were low in all the 15 micronutrients they surveyed, and especially in iodine, vitamin E, calcium and iron.  More than half the world’s population also had low levels of riboflavin, folate and vitamins C and B6.

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