Indian Society of Genetics & Plant Breeding
Micronutrient malnutrition or ‘hidden hunger’, resulting
from the consumption of diets deficient in minerals (iron,
zinc, iodine, etc), vitamins and essential amino acids,
affects more than one-half of the world’s population
especially women and children in developing countries
[1-3]. It causes several diseases (anemia, endemic
goiter, child blindness, etc.); the affected people are
more prone to infection to other diseases resulting in
further deterioration in quality of life. Of these, iron
deficiency is the most common nutritional disorder in
the world affecting over 4 billion people, with more than
2 billion people, mainly in developing countries, actually
being anemic (WHO; http://www.who.int/nut/ida.htm).
Zinc deficiency in humans reduces growth, sexual
maturity and the immune defence system [4]. Zinc
deficiency is not easily distinguished, but on the basis
of intake figures, it may be equally prevalent in human
populations.
Keywords: N/A
Year: 2011
Volume: 71
Issue: 1
Article DOI: N/A
Print ISSN: 0019-5200
Online ISSN: 0975-6906
Basanti Brar, R. K. Jain info_circle
Sunita Jain info_circle
Rattan Singh info_circle
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