ORCID
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6320-2043
Abstract
The teenage years represent a crucial period of physical and cognitive growth and development with sufficient micronutrient intakes necessary to meet high nutritional requirements. This review examines current micronutrient intakes in teenagers in the Western world in the context of public health implications including the prevalence of inadequate intakes and risk of excessive intakes. Intakes of vitamins A, D, E and C, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, zinc and potassium in teenagers are low when compared to generally accepted recommendations, while there is little risk of excessive micronutrient intakes based on current dietary patterns. Therefore, strategies should focus on increasing micronutrient intakes in order to decrease the risk of negative impacts resulting from these low intakes. These strategies should be mindful of guidance towards an environmentally sustainable diet whilst ensuring that nutrient intakes in teenagers are not further negatively impacted. In order to identify, implement and monitor the effectiveness of such strategies, intakes of micronutrients should be continually monitored in nationally representative samples of the population for all age groups including this vulnerable cohort of teenagers.
Disciplines
Biology | Life Sciences | Nutrition
DOI
10.1017/S002966512400017X
Full Publication Date
March 2024
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Resource Type
conference paper
Access Rights
open access
License Condition

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Alternative Identifier
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/proceedings-of-the-nutrition-society/article/optimal-growth-and-development-are-teenagers-getting-enough-micronutrients-from-their-diet/0AA7DE3AE028063067D0AABFEEA4D587
Recommended Citation
Walsh NM, Flynn A, Walton J, Kehoe L. Optimal growth and development: are teenagers getting enough micronutrients from their diet? Proceedings of the Nutrition Society. Published online 2024:1-9. doi:10.1017/S002966512400017X
Publication Details
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2024) 1-9. © The Author(s), 2024.