Striking the right nutrient balance

All you need to do is sprinkle the right amount of salt on your plate to keep your iodine and iron intake at the optimal level.

You’ve heard about how vitamins are good for you. But did you know that the body also requires minerals — 16, in fact — to stay healthy. Iodine and iron are among the essential nutrients that you need to ensure normal functioning and a sense of overall goodness. 

Low iodine can be linked to a number of health problems. Iodine deficiency is the primary cause of mental retardation and brain damage, mostly affecting the brain of the developing foetus and young children.

 Low iodine also affects expectant mothers and has been associated with infant mortalism, abortions and stillbirths. Perhaps, the most visible form of iodine deficiency is goitre, an abnormally enlarged thyroid gland that can result from a deficiency of iodine in the diet.

Iron keeps the blood strong and is a necessary mineral for normal body function and good health. A lack of iron in the blood can lead to anaemia, a very common nutritional deficiency, especially in children.

Anaemia is a condition wherein the red blood count in a human body is low. While anaemia is known to affect the physical and cognitive performance of individuals, iron deficiency anaemia also has devastating effects on maternal and foetal health — 20 per cent of maternal deaths globally can be attributed to anaemia (UNICEF).

WHO estimates suggest that more than one third of the world’s population suffers from anaemia. India continues to be one of the countries with a very high prevalence of this deficiency.

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) shows the occurrence of anaemia to be 70-80 per cent in children, 70 per cent in pregnant women and 24 per cent in adult men.  Anaemia with pregnancy means that the consequences can extend over generations.Similarly, it is estimated that 150 million people in the country are afflicted with Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD).

The results of sample surveys conducted by the Indian Ministry of Health and the National Iodine Deficiencies Disorders Programme (NIDDP) in 325 districts (covering all States/Union Territories) reveal that more than 10 per cent of the population in 263 districts suffers from IDD.

A diet devoid of a few basic nutrients is the root cause for anaemia. Anaemia  is popularly believed to be caused by malnutrition. This is not the complete truth. 

While iron and iodine deficiencies can cause serious complications, the solution to both of these nutritional deficiencies could be incredibly simple — as effortless as cooking with salt. Researchers from the Micronutrient Initiative and The University of Toronto have now found a way to fortify table salt with both iron and iodine without the nutrients cancelling each other out.

Who would have thought that providing two of the most vital micronutrients for mental ability, human productivity and maternal and infant survival, could be as easy as reaching for the salt?

(The contributor is the director of the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad.)