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Signs of micronutrient deficiencies In general, micronutrient deficiencies can lead to serious health problems, blindness, muscle weakness, join pain, dry skin, brittle hair and nails ...
Micronutrients are essential elements required by organisms in small quantities to perform various biogeochemical processes and regulate physiological functions of cells and organs. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] By enabling these processes, micronutrients support the health of organisms throughout life.
Zinc is a vital micronutrient that plays a crucial role in enzymatic catabolism, immune cell function, DNA synthesis, and various micronutrient metabolisms. In the elderly, low serum zinc levels have been reported, which weakens the immune system, making them more susceptible to infections and increasing their risk of morbidity.
As defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), fortification refers to "the practice of deliberately increasing the content of an essential micronutrient, i.e., vitamins and minerals in a food irrespective of whether the nutrients were originally in the food before ...
While they are essential for life, micronutrients don’t provide calories for energy. Many, including vitamins A, C, E, beta-carotene, and the mineral selenium, serve as antioxidants ...
In 1912 Polish-born biochemist Casimir Funk, working in London, isolated the same complex of micronutrients and proposed the complex be named "vitamine". [34] It was later to be known as vitamin B 3 (niacin), though he described it as "anti-beri-beri-factor" (which would today be called thiamine or vitamin B 1). Funk proposed the hypothesis ...
In 1992, Micronutrient Initiative was established as a secretariat within the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, to support progress toward that goal. In 1993 IDRC recruited an executive director for the secretariat and transferred 2–3 of its staff to the new organization. [ 6 ]
Micronutrients are needed in smaller amounts (milligrams or micrograms); they have subtle biochemical and physiological roles in cellular processes, like vascular functions or nerve conduction. Inadequate amounts of essential nutrients or diseases that interfere with absorption, result in a deficiency state that compromises growth, survival and ...