Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39218000›Full record

ArticleThe Lancet. Global health2024

Global estimation of dietary micronutrient inadequacies: a modelling analysis.

Simone Passarelli, Christopher M Free, Alon Shepon, Ty Beal, Carolina Batis, Christopher D Golden

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in The Lancet. Global health, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 141 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
141citing papers in PubMed, 7 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

141 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  10. Effect of AG1Frontiers in nutrition · 2026
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  14. The effects of magnesium L-threonate (MagteinFrontiers in nutrition · 2025
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81 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Simone PassarelliDepartment of Nutrition, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Office of Global Food Security, US Department of State, Washington, DC, USA. Electronic address: simoneapassarelli@gmail.com.
Christopher M FreeMarine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA; Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA.
Alon SheponDepartment of Environmental Studies, The Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Ty BealInstitute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA; Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Washington, DC, USA.
Carolina BatisNutrition and Health Research Center, National Institute of Public Health, Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico.
Christopher D GoldenDepartment of Nutrition, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

TRAINING GRANT IN ACADEMIC NUTRITIONT32DK007703 · NIDDK · HARVARD UNIVERSITY (SCH OF PUBLIC HLTH) · PI CHRISTOPHER P DUGGAN, Frank B Hu · 1994 to 2026
$7.8M
NIDDK NIH HHS T32 DK007703
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundInadequate micronutrient intakes and related deficiencies are a major challenge to global public health. Analyses over the past 10 years have assessed global micronutrient deficiencies and inadequate nutrient supplies, but there have been no global estimates of inadequate micronutrient intakes. We aimed to estimate the global prevalence of inadequate micronutrient intakes for 15 essential micronutrients and to identify dietary nutrient gaps in specific demographic groups and countries.

methodsIn this modelling analysis, we adopted a novel approach to estimating micronutrient intake, which accounts for the shape of a population's nutrient intake distribution and is based on dietary intake data from 31 countries. Using a globally harmonised set of age-specific and sex-specific nutrient requirements, we then applied these distributions to publicly available data from the Global Dietary Database on modelled median intakes of 15 micronutrients for 34 age-sex groups from 185 countries, to estimate the prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes for 99·3% of the global population.

findingsOn the basis of estimates of nutrient intake from food (excluding fortification and supplementation), more than 5 billion people do not consume enough iodine (68% of the global population), vitamin E (67%), and calcium (66%). More than 4 billion people do not consume enough iron (65%), riboflavin (55%), folate (54%), and vitamin C (53%). Within the same country and age groups, estimated inadequate intakes were higher for women than for men for iodine, vitamin B12, iron, and selenium and higher for men than for women for magnesium, vitamin B6, zinc, vitamin C, vitamin A, thiamin, and niacin.

interpretationTo our knowledge, this analysis provides the first global estimates of inadequate micronutrient intakes using dietary intake data, highlighting highly prevalent gaps across nutrients and variability by sex. These results can be used by public health practitioners to target populations in need of intervention.

fundingThe National Institutes of Health and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Indexed as

Global HealthMicronutrientsAdolescentAdultAgedChildChild, PreschoolDietFemaleHumansInfantMaleMiddle AgedNutritional RequirementsPrevalenceYoung AdultMicronutrients

Identifiers

PMID39218000
PMCPMC11426101

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.