Wallace et al. (2014) report that – according to the National Health and Nutriti

Wallace et al. (2014) report that – according to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2007-2010 – out of the 16,444 subjects included (ages 4 and older), at least one-third do not meet the Estimated Average Requirement (EAR) for several micronutrients, including:

Micronutrient
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin K
Calcium
Iron
Magnesium
Potassium
Choline

In a 1- to 2-page document, which you will submit as a document attachment within your Post-First submission (text submission is not needed, only the file attachment), include the following (cited) information for one micronutrient of your choice from the list above:

1. Micronutrient name

2. Main role(s) in human health. You may list a maximum of three (3) roles.

3. RDA/AI from infancy (0-12 months) to older adult (70 years and older) for both male and female.

4. A few foods that can be included in one’s dietary regimen in order to meet the needs of a teenager, adult, or older male or female. List for each food:

  1. Food item & (appropriate) Serving size
  2. Amount of nutrient (grams, milligram, micrograms)

Please consider the food item itself. Although some foods are very high in a micronutrient, an individual in the general public may not have access to, be able to afford, or prefer the food (according to culture, geographical location, and socioeconomic status). You may use the FoodData Central Database which is used for the Food-Nutrient Identity Destination Activity. There are also Food Composition Tables located at the end of the textbook, beginning on page 788.

5. Absorption implications. Describe what may inhibit (decrease) or promote (increase) absorption of the micronutrient.

6. Rationale for deficiency. Describe reasons why someone may become deficient in the nutrient. You may certainly list “inadequate intake/consumption of foods that have X micronutrient” as well as “decreased absorption due to X, Y, and Z” (as explained in #5). But, what else may be the cause of the micronutrient deficiency?

example you could use this template

Micronutrient: Zinc

Major Roles (Insel et al., 2017, pp. 514-515):

  • Enzyme structure & activator
  • Nucleic metabolism & gene expression
  • Immunity

DRIs (RDA & AI) (NIH, 2019):

0-6m

6-12m

1-3y

4-8y

9-13y

14-18y

19-30y

31-50y

51-70y

70y+

2mg

3mg

3mg

5mg

8mg

11/9mg*

11/8mg*

11/8mg*

11/8mg*

11/8mg*

*Male/Female

Individual: 16-year-old Female requires minimum of 9mg per day

Food Item

Serving size

Amount (USDA)

Cheerios

1 cup

3.75mg

Strawberry low-fat Yogurt

6oz container

1mg

Hamburger, 85% lean

3oz patty

5.3mg

Total:

10.05mg

Absorption implications (Insel et al., 2017, p. 515):

  • Inhibited when ingested with (high amounts of) phytates found in foods such as grains, nuts, and legumes

Rationale for deficiency (Insel et al., 2017, p. 517):

  • Gastrointestinal conditions that result in malabsorption of nutrients in the small intestine
  • Populations that eat grains and very little of anything else
  • Excessive zinc excretion from diarrhea and infection

References

Insel, P. A., Ross, D., McMahon, K., & Bernstein, M. (2017). Nutrition (6th ed.). Burlington,

MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

NIH (n.d.). Nutrient recommendations: Dietary reference intakes (DRI). Retrieved October 15,

2019, from https://ods.od.nih.gov/Health_Information/Dietary_Reference_Intakes.aspx.

USDA (n.d.). FoodData Central. Retrieved October 15, 2019, from https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/