Hidden hunger affects the health of billions of people around the world by ReliefWeb & agencies 4:32am 15th Jun, 2011   June 2011    Sheela Adivasi holds her 18-month-old son Deepak at a Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre in Badarwas block, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. A couple of months ago, Adivasi"s malnourished infant son fell sick and his eyes filled with pus. By the time the infection cleared up, Deepak"s pupils had turned a pearly white. He is now permanently blind. Had he not been so deprived of vitamins, he probably would have suffered only an itchy but harmless bout of pink eye.    Malnutrition caused by a lack of vitamins and minerals in the diet, commonly known as "hidden hunger", affects the health of billions of people around the world, especially in poorer nations.    It is caused by not eating enough micronutrients, often because hard-up families can’t afford to buy nutritious fruit, vegetables and animal products. Their daily diet consists mainly of a few inexpensive staple foods, like rice, wheat, maize and cassava, which contain few micronutrients.    So-called because they are needed only in minuscule amounts, micronutrients are known as the "magic wands" that enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones and other substances essential for proper growth and development.    Hidden hunger has severe health consequences, and can result in blindness, stunted growth, disease and even death. It particularly threatens young children and pregnant women in low-income countries.    Common micronutrients missing from their diets are iron, zinc, vitamin A and iodine.    Here are some facts and figures about micronutrient malnutrition:    * Iron deficiency is the most common micronutrient deficiency in the world. During childhood and adolescence, it impairs physical growth, mental development and learning capacity. In adults, it reduces the capacity to work, and severe anaemia increases the risk of women dying in childbirth.    * Two billion people – around 30 percent of the world"s population – are anaemic, many due to iron deficiency. In resource-poor areas, the condition is often exacerbated by infectious diseases, as well as HIV/AIDS.    * In developing countries, every second pregnant woman and about 40 percent of preschool children are estimated to be anaemic. Anaemia contributes to 20 percent of all maternal deaths.    * The highest proportion of individuals affected is in Africa (48-68 percent), while the greatest number affected is in southeast Asia (315 million).    * Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children, and increases the risk of disease and death from severe infections, including diarrhoea and measles. In pregnant women, it causes night blindness and can increase the risk of maternal mortality.    * Vitamin A deficiency is a public health problem in more than half of all countries, especially in Africa and southeast Asia.    * An estimated 250 million preschool children are vitamin A-deficient, and between 250,000 and 500,000 vitamin A-deficient children become blind every year, half of them dying within a year of losing their sight.    * Babies can be protected from vitamin A deficiency through breastfeeding, and children and adults through vitamin supplements and food fortification. But a diversified diet is the best way of providing an adequate intake.    * Zinc is involved in more body functions than any other mineral, acting as a necessary component of more than 200 enzyme systems, normal growth and development, the maintenance of body tissues, sexual function, vision and the immune system.    * The extent of zinc deficiency worldwide is not well documented due to a lack of indicators. But the World Health Organisation says around 20 percent of the world"s population could be at risk, with the most affected regions being south Asia (in particular, Bangladesh and India), Africa and the western Pacific.    * The health effects of zinc deficiency include dermatitis, impaired growth, diarrhoea, mental disturbances and recurrent infections. Visit the related web page
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