Suboptimal Micronutrient Intake among Children in Europe

Abstract

Adequate dietary intake of micronutrients is not necessarily achieved even in resource-rich areas of the world wherein overeating is a public health concern. In Europe, population-based data suggests substantial variability in micronutrient intake among children. Two independent surveys of micronutrient consumption among European children were evaluated. Stratified by age, the data regarding micronutrient intake were evaluated in the context of daily requirements, which are typically estimated in the absence of reliable absolute values derived from prospective studies. The proportion of children living in Europe whose intake of at least some vitamins and trace elements are at or below the estimated average requirements is substantial. The most common deficiencies across age groups included vitamin D, vitamin E, and iodine. Specific deficiencies were not uniform across countries or by age or gender. Micronutrient intake appears to be more strongly influenced by factors other than access to food. Substantial portions of European children may be at risk of reversible health risks from inadequate intake of micronutrients. Despite the growing health threat posed by excess intake of calories, adequate exposure to vitamins, trace elements, and other micronutrients may deserve attention in public health initiatives to optimize growth and development in the European pediatric population.

Do Chinese Children Get Enough Micronutrients?

“…Compared with the children in European countries, the prevalence of calcium, iron, selenium and zinc inadequacies were much higher in Chinese children. For example, in children aged 4-10 years in European countries, calcium intakes ranged from 563mg/d in the Polish girls to 1106mg/d in the Danish boys, with only 32% of the girls and 28%of the boys having calcium intakes below the EAR [8,32]. Compared with the children in the U.S., based on NHANES 2007-2010, calcium intakes were much higher than Chinese children, calcium intakes were 975mg/d and 1047mg/d in U.S. children aged 4-8 years and 9-18 years.…”

“…Low micronutrient intakes may link to long-term health risks [5][6][7]. Recent European studies suggested that substantial numbers of European children might be at risk due to inadequate intake of micronutrients [4,8]. China's dietary changes are enormous [9,10] and the shifts in foods consumed and eating behaviors will continue to accelerate [11].…”

Assessment of iodine importance and needs for supplementation in school-aged children in Portugal

“…While other studies already suggest monitoring of the ongoing programs [34], no current data have been considered for SAC Portuguese population, in international studies [6,7,26,27]. The only available data for children in Portugal are those from [35], were 47% of children aged 6-12 years show an inadequate iodine intake, being islands values even lower [36], which according Vanderpump et al [28] is confirming that the proximity of the sea does not prevent iodine deficiency.…”

“…Population-based data suggests substantial variability in micronutrients intake among children in Europe and data highlight common deficiencies for several micronutrients, such as iodine [6][7][8][9][10][11][12].…”

“English Disease”: Historical Notes on Rickets, the Bone–Lung Link and Child Neglect Issues

“…Large population surveys, such as the Nutrition Examination Survey and National Health, have suggested that many children and pregnant women may be affected by Vitamin D deficiency at some point during their lifetime [8,9,10,11,12,13]. Change of habits, such as less sunlight exposure, indoor living, dietary choices, and increasing rates of dietary allergy, are likely playing a significant role in the increase of this rate in some segments of the worldwide population according to the most recent evaluation of public health indicators [11,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22]. …”