Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


    New Study Says Nutrient Powders can Prevent Iron-Deficiency in Children

   by Kim Lewis

     A recently released study says that scaling up micronutrient powders,
   MNP's, is the key to preventing iron deficiency anemia in children
   worldwide. The research was sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates
   Foundation and carried out by the NGO Results for Development Institute
   in Washington DC.
   Multiple micronutrient powders are tasteless and can be sprinkled on
   any homemade food, making it easily digestible even for babies.  It
   provides vital vitamins and minerals that children need for growth.
   Because of their iron content, MNP's play a critical role in preventing
   iron deficiency anemia, IDA.
   Kanika Bahl  the managing director at Results for Development
   Institute,  said the report looked in particular at micronutrient
   powders and called for [their] dramatic global scale- up which can
   achieve improved nutritional status of tens of millions of children
   worldwide.
   Bahl explained how iron deficiency anemia can contribute to life- long
   adverse effects: "On average," she said, "infants with iron deficiency
   anemia score up to one-third lower on mental development tests than
   infants with better iron status.  To put this in context, over a
   child's lifetime, iron deficiency anemia in childhood is associated
   with a four percent decrease in hourly earnings later in life."
   The managing director of Results for Development emphasized that the
   small one-gram sachet of vitamins and minerals cost only three cents
   per serving -- and it instantly boosts the child's intake of vitamins
   and minerals.  But, she said globally, intervention has been slow.
   Only a fraction of the 34-million children who need MNP's receive
   them.  She said the Results for Development Institute recommends the
   international community mobilize a minimum of $200-million annually to
   scale up distribution of the nutrient powders.
   "Two hundred million dollars is equivalent to less than three percent
   of the global funding provided for HIV control in 2011.  We recommend
   that countries themselves focus with the international community on
   scaling [up the distribution of the MNPs]," explained Bahl.
   She added that she was encouraged by progress being made in African
   countries.  "My team was in Kenya last summer, where it was reported
   that 69% of children are anemic.  But, here the national government has
   worked closely together with civil society and with the local industry
   to develop a comprehensive national development plans for these
   powders.  And this approach, working in cross sectors is something our
   report highly recommends," explained Bahl, who described Zambia as
   being another country that is doing interesting advances with
   nutrients.
   "In Zambia, the country made an incredibly interesting stride in
   developing vitamin A supplements in de-worming treatments, reaching
   90-percent of the children.  We believe leveraging the infrastructure
   that has been so successful in health, and the political will that
   results in such strides in health, can equally transform the picture of
   nutrition of children in African countries like Zambia," said Bahl.
   She said a major point of the matter is that all mothers want the same
   thing for their children: "They want their children to be healthy,
   alert, and in some instances we've been told, tall," she said. "So the
   message is micronutrient powders will allow your children to have the
   brightest possible future, one in which they are successful, they're
   healthy, and they're productive members of society.  It's one of the
   most powerful messages around micronutrient powders available."
   Less than five percent of those children worldwide needing MNP's are
   actually receiving them, but, Bahl said there is hope on the horizon.
   It is a matter of countries worldwide making the simple, yet effective
   micronutrient powders a priority in the development of their children.
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/micronutrients-mnps-iron-children/165
   6997.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/micronutrients-mnps-iron-children/1656997.html