Which micronutrients tend to be underconsumed by many US adults?
Nutrient intake data from a representative sample of the U.S. population ages 2 years and older indicate that: vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, folate, vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium are underconsumed relative to the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2016). These statistics show how much we underconsume, but why are they underconsumed?
Why do you think it is that many people fail to get an adequate amount of these nutrients?
I think people fail to get enough nutrients because they don’t know how much they should consume, can’t afford it, have poor eating habits, are limited by the location of where they live (small town, big city, Alaska, etc.), and/or they don’t care and eat whatever they like. There are many reasons why people don’t eat well and that’s why the world is suffering from many health risks.
What are the potential health consequences of being deficient in these micronutrients?
Some of the potential health consequences of not consuming enough micronutrients are cancer, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, slow body growth, poor mental growth in children, and hypertension (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2016). Therefore, we need to educate one another on what we need to consume. There needs to be a gradual change in our eating habits so we can maintain those good eating behaviors. No matter where we live, we need to reach out to other sources of support so we can eat healthy. It is up to each individual to care about what they consume.
References
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2016, September 25). Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved from Health.gov: https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015-scientific-report/06-chapter-1/d1-2.asp