Miller Magazine Issue 108 / December 2018

76 MILLER / DECEMBER 2018 ARTICLE reduce the risk of anemia from nutritional deficiencies. Preg- nant women who are anemic also have a higher risk of having a child with low birth weight, meaning less than 2500 grams or 5.5 pounds, according to WHO. Newborns that small are prone to death and diseases while they are young. If they survive, they are more at risk for poor mental development in childhood and chronic health problems such as diabetes and heart disease later in life. Infectious and Non-Communicable Diseases Zinc is a mineral that promotes immunity, resistance to infection, and proper growth and development of the ner- vous system, and is integral to healthy pregnancy outcomes. Zinc deficiencies increase risk of malaria, pneumonia, diarr- hea. Zinc is included in WHO recommendations for fortifying wheat flour. While people only need small amounts of zinc, WHO estimates that “worldwide, zinc deficiency is respon- sible for approximately 16 percent of lower respiratory tract infections, 18 percent of malaria and 10 percent of diarrhoeal disease.” A study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases in June 2017 noted that diarrhea remains a leading cause of death globally. The study estimated that 1.31 million people died from diarrhea in 2015, including 499,000 children under age 5. While unsafe water and unsafe sanitation remain the lea- ding risk factors, vitamin A and zinc deficiencies contribute to diarrhea. Red meat, poultry, and seafood are good sources of zinc. This means that vegetarians and people who cannot afford to purchase meat are at higher risk of zinc deficiency. In ad- dition, the human body has no mechanism to store zinc, so a daily supply is needed. To increase the population’s zinc intake, 34 countries include zinc in their standards for wheat flour, maize flour, and/or rice fortification, according to FFI. SDG No. 4 - Quality education Poor health in childhood leads to reduced educational ac- hievement. A large body of literature documents that iron de- ficiency causes cognitive deficits and developmental delays. On the other hand, children who have adequate iron intake have more energy to participate in classroom exercises, and they are more mentally prepared to master the material. For- tifying flour used to make foods commonly eaten by scho- ol-age children is one way to help students maximize their educational experiences. SDG No. 5 - Gender equality Anaemia rates in females are much higher than males. While anaemia rates from iron deficiency decrease for males by the end of puberty, they remain high for females through reproductive years due to menstruation. Therefore, reducing anaemia by fortifying with iron helps equalize girls’ academic performance with boys and boosts women’s worker produc- tivity to help achieve gender equality. SDG No. 8 - Decent work and economic growth Economic growth is stymied when the population’s nutriti- onal needs are not met. In a review of the World Bank report title “An Investment Framework for Nutrition,” consultant Julia Dayton Eberwein noted that every dollar invested in nutrition-specific interventions would yield between $4 and $35 in economic returns. One example is averting healthcare expenditures by fortif- ying with folic acid to prevent brain and spine birth defects. Spina bifida is the most common of these birth defects; it cannot be cured, and it often leads to some level of paralysis and bowel and bladder control problems. Total lifetime costs for medical care, development services and indirect costs for patients with spina bifida in 2002 was US $620,484 per pa- tient, according to one literature review.