Health Risks from Long-term Consumption of Micronutrient Fortified Foods

A healthful diet (adequate, moderate, balanced and varied) is essential for the maintenance of health and disease prevention. Vitamin A, iodine, iron and zinc deficiencies are the key vitamins and minerals which affects more than 2 billion peoples worldwide and most of these are found in developing countries. Pregnant and lactating women and young children are most vulnerable to micronutrient malnutrition due to their higher demands. As intervention different stakeholders have been using fortification of food with essential micronutrients as one of the main strategies to address micronutrient deficiencies for more than half of century. However, the use of micronutrient is not without risk. Consumption of micronutrient fortified foods for a long period of time may result in side effects ranging from mild to severe toxicity. The objective of this seminar is to review the health risks from consumption of micronutrient fortified foods.

Keywords: Food fortification; Fortified foods; Micronutrients; Toxicity; Health risks