“South Africa faces a double burden of malnutrition,” says UK registered dietitian and South African resident Sasha Watkins.
On the one hand, over-nutrition and obesity are increasing and raising the risk of diabetes and heart attacks in South Africans, while on the other hand, under-nutrition is threatening the health and wellbeing of many who can’t afford a balanced diet. In most cases of under-nutrition, vitamin and mineral supplementation are essential.
Here are the five most common vitamin and mineral deficiencies in South Africa:
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is involved in immune function and vision and is found in foods such as sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens, lettuce, fish and liver.
In a 2005 National Food consumption survey, over 63% of South African children between the ages of one and nine years old were found to be vitamin A deficient. According to the Health Department of South Africa, vitamin A deficiency is a major contributor to under-five mortality and can cause visual impairment and increase the risk of measles and diarrhoea.
The health risks for children with vitamin A deficiency is such a concern in South Africa that the National Health Department created a Vitamin A supplementation policy for South Africa in 2012. The policy guidelines provide guidance on how to best address vitamin A deficiencies in the country.
Vitamin D
“Vitamin D is called the sunshine vitamin as sunlight is a key source of vitamin D. We make it under our skin when we spend time in the sun, but lately people have started avoiding the sun and applying more sunscreen,” says Watkins. The risk of skin cancer is real, but your body still needs vitamin D since it helps to absorb calcium to ensure strong and healthy bones.
According to Watkins, people with darker skin are more susceptible to developing a vitamin D deficiency, because darker skin has more protection against sunlight.
A vitamin D deficiency differs from other deficiencies because it isn’t easily addressed by dietary changes. Rich sources of vitamin D include oily fish, such as sardines, pilchards, salmon and trout, fortified breakfast cereals, eggs and offal. However, since vitamin D is principally produced by the body in response to the skin being exposed to sunlight, it may be necessary to tackle a vitamin D deficiency by taking a supplement.