Micronutrient deficiencies in the Arab Middle East countries

Micronutrient deficiencies are worldwide problems. Studies in the Arab countries indicate that these deficiencies are widely prevalent, although, their prevalence varies innumerously from country to country, and from disease to disease. The major micronutrient deficiencies reported in this part of the world are iron deficiency anaemia, iodine deficiency disorders, and vitamin A and D deficiencies. Iron deficiency anaemia is a common nutritional problem in all Arab countries. Its prevalence range s from 10% to 80% depending on age, sex and physiological status of the population. Iodine deficiency disorders are reported in many remote and mountain areas in this region. Studies on vitamin D deficiency are scarce. However, several studies from Saudi Arabia showed that even with the abundant sunlight in the country, the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency is relatively high. Indicators from some Arab countries, especially Sudan and Egypt showed that vitamin A deficiency is a problem of concer n. Information on micronutrient deficiencies in the Arab countries are limited. This is the first publication which deals with the prevalence and control of micronutrient deficiencies in these countries. The work was done in cooperation with FAOIRNEN Cairo, Arab Nutrition Society and Nestle Company. We hope that this work will be valuable to those interested in micronutrient deficiencies in this part of the world.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Musaiger, Abdulrahman O.;Miladi, Samir S.
Format:	Book (stand-alone) biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	1996
Online Access:	https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/AS823E http://www.fao.org/3/a-as823e.pdf
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