Table 1 Common practices in malnutrition research
Frank deficiencies of the micronutrients (especially vitamin A, zinc, iron, iodine, folate, vitamin D) are prevalent globally. The success of preventing rickets (vitamin D), beriberi (thiamine), scurvy (vitamin C), and pellagra (niacin) justified interventions of single or a few nutrients in malnourished individuals. Major successes have been achieved in delivering specific micronutrients to needy populations. However, the impact of subclinical undernourishment and the needs of populations in different environments and with diverse cultural, genetic, and agricultural histories are unknown. Several limitations have become apparent in nutrition research as well as other health-related projects including |
Experimental interventions in which one or at most a few nutrients are used for interventions, with notable exceptions such as http://ilins.org and (Darnton-hill et al. 2009). Only a small number of parameters were usually monitored, novel computational analyses were not used, resources for integrative approaches were lacking, and research funding culture continues to promote individual laboratories rather than collaborative consortia (other factors can also contribute) |
Use of single biomarkers has often become the “gold standard” in essential nutrient research, underestimating the complexity of biological processes. Many biomarkers are poor predictors of health, growth and development, immune function, and cognitive ability |
The failure of assessing “context or environment” in research and subsequent nutrient interventions. For example, the effects of malaria (Afacan et al. 2012), assessment of and need for interacting nutrients (Zimmermann and Kohrle 2002), presence of environmental contaminants (e.g., lead) (Zimmermann et al. 2006), differences in food matrix (Moretti et al. 2006), microbiotic diversity (Gordon et al. 2012), culture, and other factors may alter nutrient bioavailability and biological functions |
Genetic, epigenetic, microbiome, diet, and environmental and cultural diversity have not been sufficiently integrated in nutrition research |