Micronutrients in the human diet are known to be among the most essential sources of nutrition. They are called micronutrients because they are required in a very nominal amounts for human intake. The key 7 elements constituting micronutrients include boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. Another sub-group of micronutrients are the microminerals which include iron, cobalt, chromium, copper, iodine, manganese, zinc, molybdenum and selenium. These are dietary minerals which are required by the human body in small amounts. One of the major advantages of micronutrients is that they help in building resistance to micro-organisms. The microminerals also help in promoting solubility of the micronutrients.
Among micronutrient deficiencies the most prevalent is a deficiency of iodine. Iodine deficiency can greatly affect the mental and physical health of children, and iodine deficiency during pregnancy may also result in stillborn infants. Other ailments resulting from deficiencies of iodine micronutrients may lead to repeated abortions due to severe, irreversible physical and mental abnormalities. The only solution to persistent problems of iodine deficiency is to ingest iodized salt. Vitamin A deficiency is another frequent, though entirely preventable, micronutrient deficiency among human beings leading to blindness in children. Deficiencies of vitamin A cause night blindness in women and also aggravate the risks of mortality among expecting mothers. Vitamin A deficiency may also cause death due to severe illnesses including diarrhea and measles.
After iodine and vitamin deficiencies, iron deficiency is a major disorder in terms of nutrition and is mostly found in women and children of developing countries. The main disease caused by iron deficiency is anemia, which can also be aggravated by diseases including malaria, HIV/AIDS, hookworm infestation, schistosomiasis, and tuberculosis. Other signs of anemia are pallor, tiredness, headaches and breathlessness. Another disease caused by the deficiency of micronutrients is beriberi, which is caused by a deficiency of thiamin. Cretinism is caused by iodine deficiency and leads to mental and physical disabilities in pregnant women. Goiter in human beings is caused by the swelling of the thyroid gland due to deficiency of iodine. Other diseases caused by micronutrients deficiency include Night Blindness, Pellagra, Rickets, Scurvy, and Xerophthalmia.
Vegetables and fruits are the main sources for most micronutrients, and meat and fish are additional very potent sources for the human body. Carbohydrates typically fulfill the body’s requirements for thiamin.
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