Kanikah Mehndiratta, MSc
Introduction:
Vitamin-fortified products in everyday diet have been gaining a lot of attention amongst researchers targeting nutritional deficiency. Amongst women of reproductive age in countries with limited resources, 90% are reported to be receiving insufficient folate in their diet. Many such countries are also reporting low levels of vitamin B12, which usually happens due to low dietary consumption or when the digestive system can’t absorb the vitamin efficiently. Vitamin B12 plays an essential role in the development of healthy nerve tissue and RBC production. The deficiency results in hematological issues like anemia and folate-responsive neural tube defects, particularly in peri-conception periods. Folate supplementation during the phase reduces that risk by over 70%. But this isn’t a long-term national or global solution to the problem.
Past approaches to treat deficiencies:
A lot of alternatives have been used in different countries to work on these deficiencies such as folate-fortified flour using industrially milled cereal grain that is mandated in 80 countries globally and/or advice on supplement consumption. These approaches have reduced cases of deficiency but do offer their challenges in a country like India. Concerning folate-fortified flour, milling requires centrally processed large-roller mills, from where it can be distributed nationwide. But the limitation that stands is local farming for nearly 70% of the Indian population that resides in villages and prefers farming, processing, and local purchase of cereal grain. This emphasizes the need for alternate food vehicles for fortification with vitamins. Another concern is the deficiency of vitamin B12 which is estimated to be about 75% in a vegetarian or ‘near vegetarian’ population. A folate supplement alone seems inadequate without vitamin B12 replenishment as it plays essential roles in one-carbon metabolism as it affects the functioning of the intracellular enzyme, methionine synthase as a cofactor. A hesitation towards consuming dietary supplements has also been observed in Indian women, emphasizing a fortified-staple food that targets the deficiency.
Vitamin-fortified tea as an Indian solution:
A fortified tea isn’t just affordable, but also accessible and overly consumed, the most common beverage in India. It is also exported mostly from 4 states, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, and Assam which makes it easier to be industrially modified. As per the research conducted by the Indiana University School of Medicine on a small sample of women population, a vitamin-fortified cup of tea once a day proves more than enough when incorporated with water-soluble vitamins. This could be done by directly dissolving therapeutic doses of vitamins in water or by spiking tea bags with the same. Clinical trials depict oral consumption of 0.1mg and 0.5mg of vitamin B12 prove equally efficacious in increasing levels in serum while 1mg folic acid seems adequate against folate deficiency. The incorporation of such vitamins in tea does not affect the taste of the tea to make it, all in all, a suitable fortified option. This requires further research on large-scale fortification and tea delivery logistics to eliminate deficiency-associated complications.
Also read: THE NEW NORMAL HUMAN BODY TEMPERATURE
References:
- Vora, R.M., Alappattu, M.J., Zarkar, A.D., et al. Potential for elimination of folate and vitamin B12 deficiency in India using vitamin-fortified tea: a preliminary study. BMJ Nutrition, Prevention & Health 2021; bmjnph-2020-000209. doi: 10.1136/bmjnph-2020-000209
About author:
Kanikah Mehndiratta is an avid researcher in the field of Genetics with a background in Biotechnology. She is a postgraduate from the University of Glasgow in their Medical Genetics and Genomics program. Currently, based in Chandigarh as a Scientific Writer, she involves herself mainly in projects related to neurological disorders. Outside of academics, she likes to read novels, travel and is involved in volunteer work mostly.
LinkedIn profile- https://www.linkedin.com/in/kanikah-mehndiratta-301830171
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