THE Prevention of Stunting Food Fortification WITH

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

THE Prevention of Stunting Food Fortification WITH SIGHT AND LIFE | VOL. | VOL. | Sight and Life THE PREVENTION OF STUNTING FOOD FORTIFICATION WITH VITAMIN B₁₂ MICRONUTRIENT STATUS IN VIETNAM DRUMMOND: A HERO OF NUTRITION SCIENCE AND ADVOCACY Contents D 05 Editorial 82 Partners in the Nutrition Space: GAIN – The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition 08 Special Feature Copenhagen Consensus 2012: Solving the World’s Challenges 86 GAIN at a Glance 10 The Relevance of Micronutrients Positions and Statements to the Prevention of Stunting 88 2012 Copenhagen Consensus: 20 Biscuits Fortified with Multiple Micronutrients Micronutrient Interventions Judged Number One for Schoolchildren in Vietnam in Fight Against World Hunger 28 Food Fortification with Vitamin B12: 90 In-Home Fortification with Micronutrient Powders Potential Benefits and Open Questions An Update on Evidence and Safety 40 Ritual Fluids in Relation to Early Child Nutrition Congress Reports in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala 96 CARIG Conference 2012, San Diego 48 Xanthophylls as Provitamin A Carotenoids Field Reports 56 Micronutrient Status in Vietnam Comparisons and Contrasts with Thailand 102 Report from Cambodia and Cambodia Success for Laing Sokne 68 Opinion 1: Reflections on “Micronutrient Status 104 Report from South Africa in Vietnam: Comparisons and Contrasts with Thailand Putting Smiles on Faces in Ivory Park, and Cambodia” While Building Bridges to Better Nutrition 69 Opinion 2: How to Reduce Stunting: Going Beyond 106 News the Well-Recognized Micronutrients 114 Publications The Bigger Picture 122 Imprint 72 A Day in the Life of Dr Noel W. Solomons 123 Disclaimer 76 Sir Jack Cecil Drummond DSc, FRIC, FRS: A Hero of Nutrition Science and Advocacy ⇢ 4 1. A structure, typically cylindrical, in which fodder or forage is kept. 2. A pit or under- ground space for storing grain, green feeds, etc. 3. Military – an underground installation constructed of concrete and steel, designed What is to house a ballistic missile and the equip- a silo? ment for firing it. Source: Dictionary.com, 2012 Welcome The Silo Effect – And What We Can Do About It stop “working in silos”; and yet it seems that this is much harder At the recent Child Survival: Call to Action event in Washington, to do than to talk about. A Google search indicates that we are D.C, a new child survival goal of 20 or fewer child deaths per not alone in this battle: I am amazed by the number of courses 1,000 live births by 2035 was set. Through multiple partner- and books that are available to “train” you on how to break down ships, focus on high-burden populations, implementing high im- or manage silos. A closer look reveals that, in business, the rea- pact solutions, empowerment of women and mutual accounta- sons given for contemporary management considering silos as bility, this ambitious target can be achieved. Attending the event damaging are related to their negative impact on employee mo- myself, I was struck by the fact that health interventions – and tivation and team effectiveness. One author writes: “This type of thus the treatment rather than the prevention of disease – were mentality will reduce the efficiency of the overall operation, reduce the focus of attention. The importance of nutrition as a founda- morale, and may contribute to the demise of a productive culture.” tion for health and development was barely mentioned, even by And that sums it up for me. Our continued working in silos (while the few participants working both in the health and the nutri- the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals [MDG] tar- tion sectors. How can this narrow approach address the pressing gets and the new emphasis on reducing stunting and non-com- problem of child mortality and morbidity? Why do we continue municable diseases [NCDs] is keeping us from achieving what to work in silos in this way? needs to be done) is making many feel despondent. Tragically, it When I think of silos, I see in my mind’s eye the highest could spell the end of all the hard work that has gone into getting elevations in the corn plains of Iowa, which I witnessed when nutrition high on the global development agenda and trying to driving from Des Moines to Ames in the summer of 2001 to par- keep it there. ticipate in a memorial conference in honor of James Allen Olson, Remaining in our silos could, in fact, lead to nutrition’s big- a pioneer in vitamin A and carotenoid research. Jim Olson will gest missed opportunity. always be remembered for integrating different disciplines and Yet silos don’t just appear spontaneously. In his book Break valuing both young and senior scientists (see the 11th James Out of the Silo Mentality, Jeffrey Cufaude writes, “They're created Allen Olson Memorial Lecture elsewhere in this magazine). Re- by a mix of mindset, culture, and process factors that many asso- markably, silos rarely exist alone: they more commonly occur at ciations share. The good news: If you can correct those factors, you least in pairs, or else several in a row – and, interestingly, they can eliminate silos and keep them from coming back.” are almost all connected in some way. Silos are hugely impor- tant, as they are reservoirs for storing significant produce, often The challenge of behavior change grains or other crops – vital sources of life for many. Yet when Behavior change is the hardest of all challenges, and it requires we use the term ‘silo’ in today’s world, it generally has a negative the smartest interventions. So often we lament that behav- connotation. It refers to the way that the many sectors which ior change is what makes our work so difficult. How do we get should combine to address the challenges of malnutrition (in mothers to move back to breastfeeding? How do we get people its broadest sense) tend to function in isolation, with an inward to abandon their sedentary lifestyles and become more active? focus and vertical information and communication. The positive has become a negative. Nutrition’s biggest missed opportunity In the last few years, there has been much talk in the public health nutrition space about the need to address the “silo ef- fect”, to “break down silos”, to end the “silo mentality” and to ⇢ 6 EDITORIAL How do we mobilize communities to demand nutritious foods? challenge that we need to tackle. As with all tough issues, avoid- Now we have to apply such questioning to ourselves! We all need ing the matter won’t help. We should instead actively seek out to consider the patterns of behavior and, even deeper, the struc- people with different backgrounds, different ways of thinking, tures, subconscious beliefs and mental models that may be help- different experiences and different disciplines, and find ways to ing to perpetuate the continued existence of our silos. engage with them with a view to addressing the challenge. In a TED Talk posted in August, entitled Dare to Disagree The sin of self-interest (www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_dare_to_disagree. The challenge of behavior change is compounded by the fact that html), Margaret Heffernan, author of the book Willful Blindness: while almost all the stakeholders agree that the win-win we can Why we ignore the obvious at our peril, eloquently illustrates that achieve by working together for the greater good could bring good disagreement is central to progress and that the best part- benefits to everyone, the harsh reality is that we all, more often ners aren’t what she refers to as “echo chambers”. Heffernan than not, act out of self-interest. “I own this area – It’s not my says: “Most of the biggest catastrophes rarely come from secret/ job – Knowledge is power – I have to deliver for my annual report/ hidden information but from information that is out there but that shareholders …” We all know these phrases only too well. we are willfully blind to because we can’t or don’t want to handle the conflict that it provokes. BUT when we dare to see and we create “Self-interest is but the survival of conflict, we enable ourselves and the people around us to do our best thinking.” the animal in us. Humanity only Real change comes when we are more afraid of the silence begins for man with self-surrender.” than we are of facing the conflict. It’s time we stopped talking about the breaking down of silos Henri Frédéric Amiel and the need for dialog and started having the courage to col- laborate, as different but equally necessary stakeholders, amid the conflict we face. We should use our best and most innova- The reforming of competition tive thinking to ensure that the universal right guaranteed to all Another component in the mix is the competitiveness which has – that to adequate food, which includes adequate nutrition – is become all-pervasive – and all the more so as many are looking accessible to all. at the same pot for funding, and that pot seems to be shrinking. To reform our way of working, we must perhaps reform the na- ture of competition itself. With best regards, This is a topic in its own right, but the Harvard Business School, in an on-line article on redefining health care (www. hbs.edu/rhc/value.html), defines healthy competition as value- based competition which is ‘positive-sum’ (as opposed to zero- sum or negative-sum). This is because when value improves, all system participants can benefit. We should perhaps apply this principle to our own thinking. “We should actively seek out people with different ways of thinking” Collaborating in conflict There is a pervasive tendency to view conflict as a negative ex- perience that is to be avoided at all costs.
Recommended publications
  • A Knowledge-To-Action Approach to Food Fortification: Guiding Principles for the Design of Fortification Programs As a Means Of
    Vol.4, No.10, 904-909 (2012) Health http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/health.2012.410138 A knowledge-to-action approach to food fortification: Guiding principles for the design of fortification programs as a means of effectively addressing micronutrient malnutrition Laura A. Rowe*, David M. Dodson Project Healthy Children, Cambridge, USA; *Corresponding Author: [email protected] Received 28 August 2012; revised 26 September 2012; accepted 5 October 2012 ABSTRACT clear and concise messages or frameworks that allow for scaling-up in changing, challenging, and dynamic envi- The gap that exists between research and the ronments [8]. dissemination and implementation of research This paper seeks to add to the already existing litera- findings has been well established. Food forti- ture on how to implement national food fortification pro- fication, one of the most cost-effective means of grams in a way that addresses the “knowing-doing” gap addressing micronutrient malnutrition, is no ex- by offering a streamlined model that facilitates moving ception. With decades of implementation experi- from evidence to application. Based on Project Healthy ence, there is need to strengthen mechanisms Children’s (PHC) experience assisting governments in that effectively broadcast proven strategies to the design and implementation of national food fortifica- promote the successful implementation of forti- tion programs in Rwanda and Malawi, in this paper we 1) fication programs in changing, challenging, and describe how nationwide, mandatory food fortification dynamic environments. This requires clear chan- programs, often missing from national agendas, are dis- nels of communication, well-defined in-country tinct in how they address the problem of malnutrition; leadership, and a streamlined and focused ap- and 2) document four core, arguably intangible and often proach that can be adapted to country-specific overlooked, principles needed to solidify engagement, contexts.
    [Show full text]
  • Fortified Food and Supplements: Approaches for Long-Term Care Residents
    ASK AN EXPERT DAVID PAPAZIAN/SHUTTERSTOCK.COM Fortified Food and Supplements: Approaches for Long-Term Care Residents By Julie Cavaliere, “To cure sometimes, to relieve often, to comfort always”. Ba.Sc., RD, Manager of –Hippocrates Dietary, Nutrition and ood and dining are key components of quality of life and Environmental Operations quality of care for residents in long-term care homes. for Sienna Senior Living The prevalence of protein energy under-nutrition for residents ranges from 23 per cent to 85 per cent, making malnutrition one of the most serious problems facing health professionals in long-term care. Malnutrition is associated with poor outcomes and is an indicator of risk for increased mortality. It has been found that most residents with evi- dence of malnutrition were on restricted diets that might discourage nutrient intake.1 Researchers, Nutrition Managers, and Registered Dietitians alike have been looking at ways and methods to fortify foods without increasing the volume of food consumed. What exactly is a fortified food? Health Canada defines food fortification as “a process by which vitamins, mineral nutrients and amino acids are added to foods to provide consumers with sufficient but not excessive amounts of certain nutrients in their diet.”2 There is both mandatory and voluntary fortification of foods at present. Mandatory fortification includes addition of vitamin A and D to milk, CANADIAN SOCIETY OF NUTRITION MANAGEMENT NEWS – WINTER 2018 11 for example. Meal replacements or nutritional supplements of a known food, cost, acceptance, not a normalized way of for the purposes of this article can be defined “a formulated eating, and no connection to the past.
    [Show full text]
  • The Journal of Nutrition 1964 Volume.82 No.1
    THE JOURNAL OF NUTRITION OFFICIAL ORGAN OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF NUTRITION R i c h a r d H . B a r n e s , E d it o r Graduate School of Nutrition Cornell University, Savage Hall Ithaca, New York H a r o l d H . W i l l i a m s E. N e ig e T o d h u n t e r Associate Editor Biographical Editor EDITORIAL BOARD G e o r g e K . D a v i s G e r a l d F. C o m b s R a l p h T . H o l m a n R i c h a r d H . F o l l i s , Jr . R u t h M . L e v e r t o n G e o r g e M . B r ig g s E. L. R. St o k s t a d G e o r g e V . M a n n R . M . F o r b e s Jo h n G. B i e r i M a x O. S c h u l t z e Ju l e s H ir s c h H a r r y P . B r o q u is t A . E. A x e l r o d E. E. H o w e R. G a u r t h H a n s e n V O L U M E 82 JANUARY - APRIL 1964 PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE WISTAR INSTITUTE OF ANATOMY AND BIOLOGY PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA THE JOURNAL OF NUTRITION ® ® Trade mark registered, V.
    [Show full text]
  • Guidelines on Food Fortification with Micronutrients
    GUIDELINES ON FOOD FORTIFICATION FORTIFICATION FOOD ON GUIDELINES Interest in micronutrient malnutrition has increased greatly over the last few MICRONUTRIENTS WITH years. One of the main reasons is the realization that micronutrient malnutrition contributes substantially to the global burden of disease. Furthermore, although micronutrient malnutrition is more frequent and severe in the developing world and among disadvantaged populations, it also represents a public health problem in some industrialized countries. Measures to correct micronutrient deficiencies aim at ensuring consumption of a balanced diet that is adequate in every nutrient. Unfortunately, this is far from being achieved everywhere since it requires universal access to adequate food and appropriate dietary habits. Food fortification has the dual advantage of being able to deliver nutrients to large segments of the population without requiring radical changes in food consumption patterns. Drawing on several recent high quality publications and programme experience on the subject, information on food fortification has been critically analysed and then translated into scientifically sound guidelines for application in the field. The main purpose of these guidelines is to assist countries in the design and implementation of appropriate food fortification programmes. They are intended to be a resource for governments and agencies that are currently implementing or considering food fortification, and a source of information for scientists, technologists and the food industry. The guidelines are written from a nutrition and public health perspective, to provide practical guidance on how food fortification should be implemented, monitored and evaluated. They are primarily intended for nutrition-related public health programme managers, but should also be useful to all those working to control micronutrient malnutrition, including the food industry.
    [Show full text]
  • South African Food-Based Dietary Guidelines
    ISSN 1607-0658 Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for South Africa S Afr J Clin Nutr 2013;26(3)(Supplement):S1-S164 FBDG-SA 2013 www.sajcn.co.za Developed and sponsored by: Distribution of launch issue sponsored by ISSN 1607-0658 Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for South Africa S Afr J Clin Nutr 2013;26(3)(Supplement):S1-S164 FBDG-SA 2013 www.sajcn.co.za Table of contents Cited as: Vorster HH, Badham JB, Venter CS. An 9. “Drink lots of clean, safe water”: a food-based introduction to the revised food-based dietary guidelines dietary guideline for South Africa Van Graan AE, Bopape M, Phooko D, for South Africa. S Afr J Clin Nutr 2013;26(3):S1-S164 Bourne L, Wright HH ................................................................. S77 Guest Editorial 10. The importance of the quality or type of fat in the diet: a food-based dietary guideline for South Africa • Revised food-based dietary guidelines for South Africa: Smuts CM, Wolmarans P.......................................................... S87 challenges pertaining to their testing, implementation and evaluation 11. Sugar and health: a food-based dietary guideline Vorster HH .................................................................................... S3 for South Africa Temple NJ, Steyn NP .............................................................. S100 Food-Based Dietary Guidelines for South Africa 12. “Use salt and foods high in salt sparingly”: a food-based dietary guideline for South Africa 1. An introduction to the revised food-based dietary Wentzel-Viljoen E, Steyn K, Ketterer E, Charlton KE ............ S105 guidelines for South Africa Vorster HH, Badham JB, Venter CS ........................................... S5 13. “If you drink alcohol, drink sensibly.” Is this 2. “Enjoy a variety of foods”: a food-based dietary guideline still appropriate? guideline for South Africa Jacobs L, Steyn NP................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Unfinished Agenda for Food Fortification in Low-And Middle
    nutrients Review The Unfinished Agenda for Food Fortification in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Quantifying Progress, Gaps and Potential Opportunities Penjani Mkambula 1,*, Mduduzi N. N. Mbuya 1,* , Laura A. Rowe 2 , Mawuli Sablah 3, Valerie M. Friesen 1 , Manpreet Chadha 4, Akoto K. Osei 5, Corinne Ringholz 6, Florencia C. Vasta 1 and Jonathan Gorstein 7 1 Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition, Rue de Varembé 7, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; [email protected] (V.M.F.); [email protected] (F.C.V.) 2 Food Fortification Initiative, 1518 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA; laura.rowe@ffinetwork.org 3 UNICEF, 3 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017, USA; [email protected] 4 Nutrition International 180 Elgin St., Suite 1000, Ottawa, ON K2P 2K3, Canada; [email protected] 5 Helen Keller International, Regional Office for Africa, Dakar BP 29.898, Senegal; [email protected] 6 World Food Programme, Via Cesare Giulio Viola, 68, 00148 Rome, Italy; [email protected] 7 Iodine Global Network, Seattle, WA 98107, USA; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (P.M.); [email protected] Received: 31 December 2019; Accepted: 27 January 2020; Published: 29 January 2020 Abstract: Large-scale food fortification (LSFF) is a cost-effective intervention that is widely implemented, but there is scope to further increase its potential. Toidentify gaps and opportunities, we first accessed the Global Fortification Data Exchange (GFDx) to identify countries that could benefit from new fortification programs. Second, we aggregated Fortification Assessment Coverage Toolkit (FACT) survey data from 16 countries to ascertain LSFF coverage and gaps therein. Third, we extended our narrative review to assess current innovations.
    [Show full text]
  • Beverage Fortification
    June 2013 US$39.00 SPECIAL REPORT Beverage Fortification: Enhancing Nutritional Quality & Consumer Appeal Years ago, fortification was implemented in staple items such as flour and milk as an effective strategy to help stave off widespread disease resulting from malnourishment. With today's increasingly savvy consumers looking to glean nutritional benefits in everything from tea and juice to bottled water, beverage fortification has taken on a whole new life. by Cathianne Leonardi and Frank Del Corso Beverage Fortification: Enhancing Nutritional Quality & Consumer Appeal According to the World Health Organization (WHO), food fortification is the practice of deliberately increasing content of an essential micronutrient in a food, so as to improve the nutritional quality of the food supply and provide a public health benefit with minimal risk to health. Historically, foods have been fortified to prevent diseases. More recently in the United States and other developed countries, fortification of foods and beverages has shifted to deliver benefits making the user feel, perform or even look better. This report examines the changing market of fortification in the United States—from one where the main driver is preventing diseases in the masses, to one where the driver is adding function for a niche market. Strategies are also explored for beverage scientists to create great-tasting drinks to meet the demands of this new market. Introduction and History of Fortification by Cathianne Leonardi umans traditionally fortify their bodies with nutrients found in food. We demonstrate increased understanding of nature by modifying H our food supply in favor of desired qualities. Activities including seed selection, propagation and invention of species by artificial selection and hybridization have long been established as beneficial in yielding increasing food supplies required to nourish a boundless growth in population.
    [Show full text]
  • Food Fortification
    THE 2008 UGANDA FOOD CONSUMPTION SURVEY Determining the Dietary Patterns of Ugandan Women and Children PHIL HARVEY ZO RAMBELOSON OMAR DARY MAY 2010 FOOD FORTIFICATION This study was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the terms of Cooperative Agreement No. GHS-A-00-05-00012-00, and by support from the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the World Food Programme (WFP). The contents are the responsibility of the Academy for Educational Development (AED) and do not necessarily represent the views of USAID, the United States Government, WFP, or GAIN. Recommended Citation: Harvey, Phil, Zo Rambeloson and Omar Dary. The 2008 Uganda Food Consumption Survey: Determining the Dietary Patterns of Ugandan Women and Children. A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project, AED, Washington D.C., 2010. Copies of the Study can be obtained from: A2Z: The USAID Micronutrient and Child Blindness Project AED 1825 Connecticut Ave., NW Washington D.C., 20009-5721 Tel: 202-884-8000 Fax: 202-884-8432 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.a2zproject.org Acknowledgments We thank the authors, Phil Harvey, independent consultant, and Zo Rambeloson and Omar Dary, A2Z-AED, for their valuable contributions in the drafting of this report. We also wish to acknowledge the important contributions of the study’s principle investigator, Associate Professor William Kyamuhangire, and co-investigators Professor Joyce Kikafunda and Dr. Archileo Kaaya, from Makerere University Department of Food Science and Technology. Their efforts went beyond the terms of their contract to organize and carry out the field work of this study.
    [Show full text]
  • United Nations Food Systems Summit Action Track 1: Ensure Access To
    United Nations Food Systems Summit Action Track 1: Ensure Access to Safe and Nutritious Food for All Potential Game Changing and Systemic Solutions: A Second Compilation Submitted to the UN Food Systems Summit Secretariat, 10 May 2021 1 Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................ 5 Action Track 1 Goals............................................................................................................................ 5 Action Track 1 Structure ..................................................................................................................... 5 Process for Identifying and Developing the Ideas in this Paper ......................................................... 6 Potential Solutions for Reducing Hunger and Boosting Food Security ................................................... 7 1. Decrease Hunger Among Smallholder Farmers by Investing in Soil Health ................................... 7 2. Put farmers’ access to crop diversity first in seed policy and practice ........................................... 8 3. Boost sustainable food production through solar powered irrigation in multi-stakeholder partnerships ...................................................................................................................................... 10 4. Increase Farmer Incomes, Agricultural Productivity, and Equity by Scaling up Access to Mechanisation Services ...................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Food Fortification
    Food Fortification Adding vitamins or minerals to commonly HIDDEN HUNGER eaten foods – food fortification – has the Micronutrient deficiencies are a form of potential to make a big impact on malnutrition often unnoticeable to the naked micronutrient deficiencies. eye as the people they affect frequently don’t Fortification has already played a major part in show any clinical symptoms. improving public health over the past century, While micronutrient deficiencies may be but with 2 billion people across the world still invisible, their impact is far from it. Iodine suffering from ‘hidden hunger’, we need to deficiency is the world’s most prevalent cause take this further. of preventable brain damage, iron deficiency increases the risk of death in childbirth, and vitamin A deficiency causes night blindness WHAT IS FOOD FORTIFICATION? which today affects millions of children and Fortification involves adding micronutrients pregnant women. (vitamins and minerals) to foods, with little Hidden hunger has long-lasting and effect on taste and cooking properties. Staple devastating consequences. Children are foods and condiments are normally used as a unable to learn and reach their full potential, vehicle for fortification as they are consumed adults are less productive, and household by the majority of the population. poverty is exacerbated, trapping communities into a vicious cycle of poverty and poor health. October 2018 Today 2 billion people across the world suffer from WFP is increasingly sourcing fortified foods for our micronutrient deficiencies, many becuase they do not food distributions and programmes. We also advocate have access to nutritious diets. for fortification in policy and play a facilitating role in countries, connecting key actors.
    [Show full text]
  • Staple Food Fortification to Improve Public Health
    Staple food fortification to improve public health How food fortification turns a simple staple into nutritious food Staple food fortification 1 Improving public health is a wise investment in the future of any society, because a healthy population is not only happier, it is more productive. At DSM we are fully committed to improving public health, supporting food producers and suppliers, regulatory authorities and other stakeholders with our unique competencies and innovative solutions. Our scientific, technological and regulatory expertise, together with our top-quality, customized micronutrient blends, mean we are ideally placed to add value to our customers’ products, giving them a competitive advantage and enabling them to make their own important contribution to improving public health in their communities. 2 Staple food fortification Improve public health and life is brighter for everyone In developing countries hidden hunger – the lack of essential micronutrients in a person’s diet – places a heavy burden on societies, and not just in terms of immediate Nutrition Improvement health care costs. Eradicating deficiencies and improving nutritional status makes Program people healthier and therefore better able to contribute to their own development. In particular it can ensure the proper mental and physical development of children, who To ensure that you receive then grow up to become productive members of the community. It also reduces the the full spectrum of support burden of health care costs and has an impact on the economic development of a country. and services DSM has established the Nutrition Micronutrient deficiencies affect not only the poor. Perhaps less obvious but nonetheless Improvement Program.
    [Show full text]
  • Vitamin D Fortification of Fluid Milk Products and Their Contribution To
    nutrients Review Vitamin D Fortification of Fluid Milk Products and Their Contribution to Vitamin D Intake and Vitamin D Status in Observational Studies—A Review Suvi T. Itkonen * ID , Maijaliisa Erkkola ID and Christel J. E. Lamberg-Allardt ID Department of Food and Nutrition, P.O. Box 66, 00014 University of Helsinki, 00790 Helsinki, Finland; maijaliisa.erkkola@helsinki.fi (M.E.); christel.lamberg-allardt@helsinki.fi (C.J.E.L.-A.) * Correspondence: suvi.itkonen@helsinki.fi; Tel.: +358-44-356-1209 Received: 25 June 2018; Accepted: 7 August 2018; Published: 9 August 2018 Abstract: Fluid milk products are systematically, either mandatorily or voluntarily, fortified with vitamin D in some countries but their overall contribution to vitamin D intake and status worldwide is not fully understood. We searched the PubMed database to evaluate the contribution of vitamin D-fortified fluid milk products (regular milk and fermented products) to vitamin D intake and serum or plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) status in observational studies during 1993–2017. Twenty studies provided data on 25(OH)D status (n = 19,744), and 22 provided data on vitamin D intake (n = 99,023). Studies showed positive associations between the consumption of vitamin D-fortified milk and 25(OH)D status in different population groups. In countries with a national vitamin D fortification policy covering various fluid milk products (Finland, Canada, United States), milk products contributed 28–63% to vitamin D intake, while in countries without a fortification policy, or when the fortification covered only some dairy products (Sweden, Norway), the contribution was much lower or negligible.
    [Show full text]