Consultancy Corner: Vitamin deficiency is the most pervasive health condition among infants

India is making significant strides in improving child health and nutrition, yet every year millions of children succumb to the scourge of vitamins and minerals deficiency before their fifth birthday. Lack of vitamins and minerals is often termed as micro-nutrients deficiency which is one of the major causes of mortality and morbidity among infants. 

Consequences of deficiency are so fierce, that out of 26 million babies born annually, more than seven lakh don’t even survive infancy, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). 

A report by MOHFW also states that, 13 per cent of the country population comprises children below age of six and out of them as many as 12.7 lakh die every day due to insufficient nutrient intake. Adding more to the grim statistics, intake of enough micronutrients during children’s early years is very crucial. 

Considerable high incidence of infection and growth faltering occurs within six months of age if sufficient nutritional demands of the child are not met at this crucial stage. 

Therefore, sufficient intake of vitamins and minerals is essential for proper growth and healthy immune system. Leading causes of child mortality among children under 5 include pneumonia, diarrhoea, measles and malaria where malnutrition is often an underlying cause. 

Experts recognise that first 1,000 days in a child’s life lays the foundation for him or her, and shapes the state of his or her health for the latter part of life. Intake of nutrient dense food during this time is paramount to ensure that children reach their full potential when it comes to physical growth, learning capacity and also to ensure that they aren’t susceptible to illness as a child and as an adult. 

When a child completes six months, along with breast milk, it is recommended that it is also given nutrient dense food (these include vitamin and mineral enriched food, fortified grains/foods, iron and multi vitamin drops supplementation). 

Most often the gaps in micronutrient delivery is the highest when the infant is moving from an exclusive breast milk to semi-solid feeds, because its  needs constantly go up. 

There is enough data to support that supplementation, fortification with essential micronutrients or proper intake of nutrient dense food are among the most effective solutions to combat micronutrient deficiency in infants.