Trace Element Nutrition in the Developing World: A Review

Abstract

Several elements are required for the nutritional well-being of animals and humans. The trace elements recognized currently as dietary essentials are arsenic, boron, chromium, copper, fluorine, iodine, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, selenium, Silicon, vanadium and zinc. Aluminium, cadmium, lithium, lead and tin are thought to be dietary essentials also, but the evidence is less extensive than for the other elements listed. A dietary deficiency of any of the trace elements will produce the specific symptoms because each element serves a specific function(s). Trace element malnutrition is now a rapidly growing public health problem among nearly all poor people in many developing nations. This pernicious but preventable human health crisis calls for an awareness for the developing world to not only focus on the production of staple food but also food of high nutritional quality and diversity to satisfy a balanced diet for all people thereby ensuring healthy and productive lives. The food chain remains the major pathway through which the trace elements enter the human body. With the exception of iron and iodine, information on trace element intakes in developing countries is limited because of paucity of data on the trace elements content of local staple foods. Substitution of trace element values for staple foods grown in Western countries is not advisable because the trace elements content of plant-based foods tend to reflect the trace element levels of the local soil.