Millions of people die for want of vitamins and minerals in diet

TENS of millions of people die and 20 million children are born mentally impaired every year because of a lack of vitamins and minerals in their diet — a problem that could be solved at the cost of a few cent per person, the UN Children’s Fund said yesterday.

"There is no excuse for not reaching every human being with these simple but lifesaving micronutrients," said UNICEF executive director Carol Bellamy at a global meeting of government and business leaders in Davos, Switzerland. The agency chose the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum to release an advance copy of its study on vitamin and nutrient deficiency in the hope of getting its message across to political leaders and the media.

UNICEF estimates that as many as 20 million children are born mentally impaired every year because of iodine deficiency 6.6 million in India alone.