Anaemia in India and its prevalence and multifactorial aetiology: a narrative review

Givens, D. I. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6754-6935, Anitha, S. and Giromini, C. (2024) Anaemia in India and its prevalence and multifactorial aetiology: a narrative review. Nutrients, 16 (11). 1673. ISSN 2072-6643 doi: 10.3390/nu16111673

Abstract/Summary

The prevalence of anaemia in India remains high in children, especially those in rural areas, and in women of childbearing age, and its impairment of neurological development can have serious lifelong effects. It is concerning that the most recent official data (2019–21) indicate an increased prevalence compared with 2015–16. There is also considerable variability in childhood anaemia between Indian states with socioeconomic factors, such as wealth and education contributing to the risk of anaemia among adolescent women and their children. Dietary iron deficiency is often regarded as the main contributor to anaemia but increasing evidence accumulated from the authors’ ongoing literature database coupled with recent literature research suggests that it has a multifactorial aetiology, some of which is not related to nutrition. This narrative review focused on these multifactorial issues, notably the contribution of vitamin B12/folate deficiency, which also has a high prevalence in India. It was also noted that the dietary intake of bioavailable iron remains an important contributor for reducing anaemia, and the role of millets as an improved iron source compared to traditional staple cereals is briefly discussed. The overall conclusion is that anaemia has a multifactorial aetiology requiring multifactorial assessment that must include assessment of vitamin B12 status.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/117689
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Interdisciplinary Research Centres (IDRCs) > Institute for Food, Nutrition and Health (IFNH)
Publisher	MDPI
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