A Review of Food-Based Intervention Strategies for Improving Micronutrient Status and Health During Childhood

Micronutrient deficiencies, especially those of iron, vitamin A, zinc and iodine are most common around the world, particularly in children and adolescents. These deficiencies can be prevented through nutrition education and consumption of a healthy diet containing diverse foods, as well as food fortification and supplementation. Available evidence has suggested that instead of synthetic supplements, dietary diversification and modification by including micronutrient-rich foods with appropriate food preparation methods to increase bioavailability, is an effective strategy to treat deficiency state. Therefore, a literature search was conducted for studies i) developing nutritious food products and ii) evaluating food intervention effects. Twelve studies described formulation of snacks/recipes using micronutrient-rich foods and proper cooking methods to enhance bioavailability. Twenty-four food-based intervention trials in children (6 months-16 years) reported increase in micronutrient intakes. Of these, 4 studies reported improvements in all growth parameters except one study showing no improvement in height z scores, 6 studies observed positive changes in bone and muscle development, whereas one study found no effect of dairy intervention on bone mass accrual, 6 studies noted increases in biochemical parameters and/or decrease in infections, whereas two showed no change in serum levels, 4 studies noticed improved cognitive/scholastic performance. Thus, available literature indicates that supplementing snacks or small meals with high bioavailable micronutrient contents significantly increases micronutrient intake and help improving growth and development of children. Further research is warranted to devise food-based strategies for improving micronutrient quality of diets to lower the associated health risks.