Introduction
Rising carbon dioxide levels can accelerate zinc deficiency in crops and thus in human consumption, says a report, titled, ‘Inadequate Zinc Intake in India; Present, Past, and Future’ by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. For years, people in India have been zinc-deficient particularly in the southern and north-eastern parts, such as Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur, and Meghalaya where rice is the dominant diet. getting enough zinc from food is important because the human body does not store it.
Key Findings of the Report
Some of the key findings of the report are:
(i) Food crops such as wheat, rice, barley, soya, and field peas, an important source of dietary zinc, have recently been shown to contain a lower concentration of zinc and other nutrients when grown under open field conditions.
(ii) Tens of millions of people have become newly deficient in zinc because of inadequate zinc intake for decades.
(iii) The national rates of inadequate zinc intake have increased from 17 per cent to 25 per cent between 1983 and 2012.
(iv) Rising carbon dioxide levels can accelerate this trend.
(v) Changing diets and an ageing population are also important factors for the increase in cases of zinc deficiency.
(vi) Higher rates of inadequate intake of dietary zinc were reported in the overall urban population, among the wealthier urban groups in particular, because their diet contains a higher proportion of nutrient-poor fats and sugars.
Advantages of Zinc
The advantages of zinc are as follows:
(i) it boosts immune function; (ii) it helps cells divide; (iii) it maintains the sense of smell and taste; (iv) it promotes wound healing; (v) it supports a person’s growth and development; (vi) it plays a critical role in the human immune systems; and (vii) it supports cell function, helping about 100 enzymes perform their duties.
Effect of Deficiency
If a person becomes zinc-deficient, serious health consequences may occur, particularly in those children who are susceptible to contracting malaria, diarrhoeal diseases, and pneumonia.
The solution to the Problem
Article 47 of the Constitution makes it mandatory for the state to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living of its citizens.
It is very important to slow or reverse this rising trend of zinc deficiency. For this purpose, national grain fortification programmes, increased dietary diversity, bio-fortified crops, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions can make a difference.
Food Fortification Under food fortification, essential micronutrients such as vitamins and minerals are added to food staples. Thus, the needs of a large number of people are met.
For food fortification, iron, iodine, vitamin A, folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin D are generally used. Since 1953, Vanaspati has been getting fortified with vitamin D and A mandatorily.
Salt Iodisation Similarly, salt iodisation started in 1962 under the National Goiter Control Programme (NGCP). And since 1997, it is mandatory to iodised salt.
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