Why fortify with zinc?
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| Authors & editors | |
| Publisher | Milling & Grain |
| Year of publication | 2017 September |
| Languages | |
| Medium | Digital |
| Edition | 1 |
| Topics | |
| Tags | |
| Scope & content | By Sarah Zimmerman, Food Fortification Initiative (FFI) For chemists, zinc is a transition metal represented by the letters ‘Zn’ on the periodic table. For nutritionists, zinc is an essential mineral required for healthy immune systems and normal growth. For millers, zinc is a nutrient that can be added to flour or rice to improve their customers’ nutrition. A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases in June 2017 noted that diarrhea remains a leading cause of death globally. The study estimated that 1.31 million people died from diarrhea in 2015, including 499,000 children under age five. While unsafe water and unsafe sanitation remain the leading risk factors, vitamin A and zinc deficiencies contribute to diarrhea. Fortifying with zinc has improved people’s zinc status around the world. A three-year project in China showed that fortifying wheat flour with zinc increased zinc levels in blood. Researchers provided fortified flour to 4,700 rural adult women and unfortified flour to 2,750 rural adult women. The fortified flour included zinc as well as iron, vitamin A, and the following B vitamins: folic acid, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. Blood samples were taken annually. Women who received fortified flour had increased amounts of zinc in their blood samples each year, while the women who received unfortified flour showed no change in the blood zinc levels…Read more. |
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