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

Publication Details

Proceedings of the Nutrition Society (2024) 1-9. © The Author(s), 2024.

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Resource Type

conference paper

Access Rights

open access

License Condition

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
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

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