According to Rebecca Stoltzfus, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health, iron deficiency anemia in children impedes mental and physical development, damages the cardiovascular system, and can lead to death. In women of reproductive age, it can cause preterm births and contribute to maternal mortality during delivery. Susan Horton, professor of public health and economics at the University of Toronto, has found that anemia causes 65,000 maternal deaths a year in low-income countries in Asia. Iron and vitamin A deficiencies are often linked to poverty. The biggest global micronutrient success story is probably the fortification of salt with iodine.
Iodine deficiency leads to mental impairment, even at mild levels.
Fortunately, adding iodine to salt is a cheap process, and 70 percent of the world s population now consumes iodized salt, according to Schultink. The appeal of fortification is that it does not require people to change their eating behavior. It does require, however, getting nutrients into the foods they already eat. Most Latin American countries have mandatory fortification of flour, says Venkatesh Mannar, executive director of the Micronutrient Initiative, which organizes and supports micronutrient programs worldwide. The advantage of wheat flour is that you can add several nutrients, including vitamin D, B vitamins, folic acid, and iron.