A study has analyzed intake of 17 basic micronutrients in people’s diets across eight European countries. The results reveal that, although vitamin D is the most extreme case, European citizens — across all age and sex ranges — do not consume sufficient iron, calcium, zinc, vitamin B1 (thiamine), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), vitamin B6 and folic acid.
A group of researchers from the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI Europe) has evaluated the low intake of 17 micronutrients in eight European countries: Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, the United Kingdom and Spain.
“Better understanding the scope of micronutrient adequacy across Europe is a significant challenge,” explain the authors of the study, which was published this year in the ‘British Journal of Nutrition’.
The excerpt above is taken from an October 31, 2013 article from Science Daily, detailing the problem of vitamin inadequacy in Europe. Dietary guidelines make it clear that daily nutritional needs should be met. However, some people may need supplements to get the nutrients they might be missing.
Although not intended to replace nutrients found in real food, private label nutraceuticals address dietary deficiencies.A person who is healthy and who eats a large variety of foods, including fruits and vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fish, lean meats, and low-fat dairy products isn’t likely to need supplements. However, dietary guidelines recommend supplements for the following types of people:
Women of childbearing age who are pregnant, or may become pregnant, should consume the right amount of folic acid daily (about 400 micrograms a day). Pregnant women should also take prenatal vitamins that include iron or a separate iron supplement.
People aged 50 or older should take a multivitamin that contains B-12. B-12 supplements normally pack the vitamin in crystalline form, which is important because older adults often have a reduced ability to absorb B-12 in other forms. In addition, older adults who get insufficient exposure to sunlight should include multivitamins with vitamin D in their diet.
Manufacturers of private label nutritional supplements like Bactolac Pharmaceutical Inc. can help address the needs of these people, among other groups with specific dietary requirements. Companies looking to develop any such formula for supplements or looking to have an existing formula manufactured may turn to these pharmaceutical companies for services ranging from formula development to packaging and shipping.
[Article Excerpt and Image from: Europeans Do Not Consume Enough Vitamins, Minerals, Science Daily, Oct. 31, 2013]
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