Micronutrients, such as vitamins and minerals, are essential for proper growth and development. Although only needed in tiny amounts, their lack represents a major threat to the health and development of populations across the world.
Micronutrient recommendations are the amount judged necessary to avoid deficiency in virtually all individuals within a population group. Most European countries, or groups of countries, have set their own recommendations. These national recommendations vary widely between countries and are in need of harmonisation if they are to reach their goal of ensuring adequate micronutrient intake.
Funded by the European Commission, EURRECA is a Network of Excellence developing methodologies to standardise the process of setting micronutrient recommendations. Its members are scientists, representatives of nutrient requirement setting bodies, consumer organisations, small & medium-sized enterprises and wider stakeholders from across Europe.
It is expected that the results will aid in the harmonisation of micronutrient recommendations across Europe and thus improve the health of European citizens.
More information
- What are micronutrients?
- What are micronutrient requirements?
- Why do we need European recommendations for daily vitamin and mineral intakes?
- What are the relevant structures for setting micronutrient recommendations in Europe?
- Why are there variations in recommendations within Europe?
- Why do recommendations need to be aligned?
- What is the role of EURRECA?
| Want to know more? Dr Laura Contor explains the work of EURRECA and how the network is changing micronutrient research in Europe.
|
What are micronutrients?
Our bodies need about 40 different nutrients to stay healthy. Some are required in relatively large quantities and are known as macronutrients. These are carbohydrates, fats and proteins. Micronutrients, on the other hand, are needed only in minuscule amounts and are comprised of vitamins and minerals.
Micronutrients enable the body to produce enzymes, hormones and other substances essential for proper growth and development. Although the amounts required are tiny, the consequences of their absence are severe.
Iodine, vitamin A and iron are most important in global public health terms; their lack represents a major threat to the health and development of populations the world over, particularly children and pregnant women in low-income countries.
The 10 nutrients identified by EURRECA as being in most urgent need of review are: vitamin D, iron, folate, vitamin B12, zinc, calcium, vitamin C, selenium, iodine and copper. The prioritisation process was based on i) new evidence; ii) public health relevance; iii) heterogeneity in Europe.
What are micronutrient requirements?
The minimum amount of a micronutrient needed by an individual to avoid deficiency is traditionally referred to as the micronutrient requirement, and is defined by the body’s physiological needs. Micronutrient deficiency can be defined by clinical, physiological and biochemical criteria and these may all give different values for requirements.
For an individual, the requirement for any micronutrient depends on a variety of factors such as age, gender, genotype, physical activity, health status and the efficiency with which an individual absorbs and metabolises micronutrients. The requirement for a certain micronutrient can thus vary both within and between individuals.
EURRECA's research spans several population groups – infants, children and adolescents, adults, pregnant and lactating women, elderly, people with low income and immigrants.
Why do we need European recommendations for daily vitamin and mineral intakes?
Recommendations are designed for a group of people, and are based on the amount judged necessary to avoid deficiency and promote good health in virtually all individuals within that group.
Nutrient recommendations are important for population nutritional planning and have food policy applications such as the development of food-based dietary guidelines and food fortification and enrichment programmes, as well as nutrition labelling.
What are the relevant structures for setting micronutrient recommendations in Europe?
To answer this question EURRECA's researchers conducted a survey in 35 European countries and collected background documents from 11 European countries, the WHO/FAO and the EC. So what was the outcome?
In most countries the recommendations are supported by one or a combination of scientific bodies in which at least three of the following fields of expertise are involved: nutrition (public), health, medicine, biochemistry, food technology, epidemiology, food hygiene and toxicology.
As many as 12 European countries, the WHO/FAO and the EC set their own micronutrient recommendations.
The countries that do not set their own recommendations adopt (partly) the recommendations from other countries or organisations. Ultimately, the final responsibility for setting these recommendations remains the one of the Government.
Why are there variations in recommendations within Europe?
Published values (known by terms such as recommended daily allowances (RDA), recommended intakes or dietary reference values) often vary widely between countries, sometimes more than two fold, even though the physiological requirements of the different populations are very similar. The recommendation for adult men for vitamin A, for example, may be 700, 800, 900 or 1000 micrograms per day depending on which country you are in.
The reason for this variation is not always clear. It can include differences in the concepts and sets of terminology used to express these recommendations (including the classification of the population groups and age bands), the nutritional status indicators and/or health indicators used by scientific experts to determine adequate intake, the types of studies and references used, and the ways of interpreting and weighing scientific data on requirements. Also, the scientific information used may not be the same or the most up-to-date in all European countries.
In addition, the process of defining nutrient recommendations involves judgemental elements such as the opinions of the selected experts on the quality of the available research papers, potential bias towards national research and the need to consider any local health issues. As a consequence, various expert committees across Europe and elsewhere have produced a variety of values.
Why do recommendations need to be aligned?
The rather small physiological differences between people across Europe do not justify the considerable differences in current nutrient recommendations. Populations have become more mobile and multi-national, and more traditional foods have become available internationally.
Differences in national recommendations may therefore:
- Stop recommendations from reaching their goal of ensuring adequate intake
- Lead to confusion for policy-makers, health professionals, food industry and consumers
- Pose difficulties for food producers who market products in more than one country
Harmonised recommendations based on up-to-date science and improved means to reach them are thus needed.
What is the role of EURRECA?
- EURRECA will identify and develop methodologies to standardise the process of setting micronutrient recommendations.
- EURRECA will also incorporate the physiological and policy aspects, where consumers play a considerable role.
- Part of the work focuses on polymorphisms - in other words, the genetic diversity at an individual level, because the individual needs leading to requirements is also extremely important.
- Another crucial aspect is to determine the specific needs of vulnerable groups, including social lower classes and immigrants, infants and children, pregnant and lactating women and the elderly.
References
- Ashwell M, Lambert JP, Alles MS, Branca F, Bucchini L, Brzozowska A, de Groot LCPG, Dhonukshe-Rutten RAM, Dwyer JT, Fairweather-Tait S, Koletzko B, Pavlovic M, Raats MM, Serra-Majem L, Smith R, van Ommen B, Van't Veer P, von Rosen J and Pijls LTJ (2008). How we will produce the evidence-based EURRECA toolkit to support nutrition and food policy. European Journal of Nutrition 47, 2-16.
- Pijls L, Ashwell M and Lambert J (2009). EURRECA - A Network of Excellence to align European micronutrien Food Chemistry 113, 748-753.