OBJECTIVE To compare micronutrient intakes and status in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) with those in other European countries and with reference values. DESIGN Review of the micronutrient intake/status data from open access and grey literature sources from CEE. SETTING Micronutrients studied were folate, iodine, Fe, vitamin B12 and Zn (for intake and status) and Ca, Cu, Se, vitamin C and...

Documentation of micronutrient intake inadequacies among developing country populations is important for planning interventions to control micronutrient deficiencies. The objective of this study was to quantify micronutrient intakes by young children and their primary female caregivers in rural Bangladesh. We measured 24-h dietary intakes on 2 nonconsecutive days in a representative sample of 4...

BACKGROUND Micronutrient deficiencies can compromise the development potential of school-aged children, and their later health and productivity as adults. School feeding and school-based fortification approaches have been utilized globally to redress nutritional deficiencies in this age group. OBJECTIVE We explored the acceptability and micronutrient impact of a Bangladesh Government supporte...

We have observed previously that micronutrient supplementation ameliorated suppression of α-defensin expression during diarrhoea. However, how interactions between anti-microbial peptide (AMP) expression and diarrhoeal disease are altered by micronutrient supplementation remain unclear. Using oral vaccination as a model of intestinal infection, we measured changes in AMP expression during multi...

BACKGROUND Micronutrient deficiency is a common public health problem in developing countries, especially for infants and children in the first two years of life. As this is an important time window for child development, micronutrient fortified complementary feeding after 6 months of age, for example with milk or cereals products, in combination with continued breastfeeding, is recommended. Th...

BACKGROUND Although micronutrient supplementation can reduce morbidity and mortality due to diarrhoea, nutritional influences on intestinal host defence are poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that micronutrient supplementation can enhance barrier function of the gut. METHODS We carried out two sub-studies nested within a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of daily micr...