Nutrition is a fundamental condition for human survival and an important indicator reflecting a country's economic level and the quality of life of its people. Surveys show that malnutrition still exists among Chinese residents.
The Third National Nutrition Survey points out that the phenomenon of insufficient and imbalanced intake of vitamins and minerals is widespread among the population. Nutritional diseases caused by deficiencies in iron, iodine, vitamins A, D, etc., are also common in children. This situation seriously affects the health and intellectual development of children, and even leads to an increase in child mortality, which in turn will affect the improvement of national health levels and economic development.
With economic development and the increase in residents' income, dietary structure and lifestyles have changed. Chronic diseases caused by excess or unbalanced nutrition have increased and have become an important cause of disability and death. According to the Ministry of Health, the number of people dying from chronic diseases in China every day already accounts for more than 70% of all deaths, and the economic loss caused by this is staggering.
Nutrients are closely related, and balance must be emphasized when supplementing. However, the formulas of most products on the market today come from Western countries. Differences in dietary habits and physique determine that the vitamins and minerals that Chinese people lack are different from those of Westerners, and using Western formulas is not scientific.
However, most Chinese people know very little about this, leading to a common phenomenon of blind supplementation. Establishing the concept of scientific nutrient supplementation has become a top priority for improving the nutritional status of Chinese people.
Balance is Key
Nutrients such as vitamins and minerals are closely related to each other. Only when a balance is achieved among them can their effects be fully utilized, and the human body can be healthy.
Professor Ge Keyou, Chairman of the Chinese Nutrition Society, Council Member of the International Union of Nutritional Sciences, and a renowned nutritionist, used a simple and understandable analogy (the Barrel Theory) in a scientific report on September 27, 2001:
The current nutritional status of Chinese people is: some nutrients are insufficient and need to be supplemented immediately; some nutrients are already sufficient and do not need to be supplemented. Various nutrients in the body are mutually matched, interact, depend on, and coordinate with each other, and the relationship is very complex, for example:
Vitamin A is protected by Vitamin E
Vitamin A prevents the oxidation of Vitamin C
Vitamin B group, D, E, and calcium, phosphorus, and zinc must be in a certain proportion
Vitamin B1, B2, and B6 must be in a 1:1:1 ratio
Vitamin B2 and C must be in proportion
Excess phosphorus will deplete calcium
Excess copper will cause zinc loss
Iron promotes the metabolism of the Vitamin B group
It is best to increase the intake of zinc together with Vitamin B6
Therefore, the basic principle for supplementing nutrients in the human body is: all deficient nutrients must be supplemented, and non-deficient nutrients should not be supplemented further, so that various nutrients in the human body can achieve a balance.
Severely Lacking Nutrients in Chinese People
Calcium
Calcium is the nutrient that Chinese residents lack the most severely. The national average daily intake is 405 mg, which is only 49.2% of the RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) requirement of 800 mg. Due to calcium deficiency, symptoms such as foot cramps, night sweats, lower back pain, and osteoporosis may occur.
Vitamin B2
Vitamin B2 is the second most severely lacking nutrient in Chinese residents. The national average daily intake is 0.8 mg, which is only 58.4% of the RDA requirement of 1.3 mg. The deficiency situation does not vary much between regions. Due to the lack of Vitamin B2, some people have already developed symptoms such as chapped lips and itchy skin.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is the third most severely lacking nutrient in Chinese residents. The national average daily intake is 476 micrograms (of which 157 micrograms are from Vitamin A and 319 micrograms are from the conversion of β-carotene), which is only 61.7% of the RDA requirement of 800 micrograms. Many people have symptoms such as dry and rough skin, and dry, light-sensitive eyes.
Nutrients Lacking in Chinese People
Zinc
The national average daily intake of zinc is 12.0 mg, which is 20% less than the RDA requirement, making it a nutrient that Chinese people lack. Zinc deficiency is particularly serious in children and adolescents, affecting the normal development of their intelligence and height in some cases.
Vitamin B1
The national average daily intake is 1.2 mg, which is 11.3% less than the RDA requirement. Because urban residents have widely consumed refined white rice and flour, and Vitamin B1 is mainly found on the surface of rice and wheat, the actual deficiency situation among urban residents is more serious than the survey data shows. The Vitamin B1 in cooked rice is basically destroyed.
Selenium
The Chinese average daily intake is 42 micrograms, which is 11.7% less than the RDA requirement.
Iron
According to the food intake survey, the daily iron intake of Chinese people has reached the RDA requirement. However, according to post-survey analysis, the iron consumed by Chinese residents is mainly non-heme iron from plants such as rice, nuts, and dark leafy vegetables, which has a lower utilization rate and absorption rate far lower than the iron in animal foods. In addition, the grains consumed most by Chinese people contain high concentrations of phytic acid, which significantly inhibits iron absorption. Therefore, although a certain amount of iron is ingested, the iron actually absorbed by the body cannot meet the body's needs, and anemia is still widespread.
Vitamin C
The national average daily intake is 100.2 mg, which has met the DRI (Dietary Reference Intake) requirement of 100 mg. However, Vitamin C is mainly derived from vegetables, and Chinese people are accustomed to eating cooked vegetables, in which most of the Vitamin C has been destroyed.
Nutrients Not Lacking in Chinese People
Phosphorus
The national average daily intake is 1058 mg, while the RDA requirement is 700 mg, exceeding it by 358 mg. The optimal ratio of phosphorus to calcium is 1:1. If phosphorus intake is greater than calcium, calcium absorption will be impaired. The actual intake ratio for Chinese residents is calcium:phosphorus = 406:1058, and the ratio of calcium to phosphorus is severely inverted. This has attracted great attention in the Chinese nutrition community.
The national average daily intake is 2.4 mg, and the DRI recommended amount is 2.0 mg. Excess copper has significant toxicity and can lead to zinc loss. Therefore, the copper intake in China is excessive rather than insufficient. Since the beginning of recorded history, no country has ever been found to have a copper deficiency, but there are many records of copper poisoning.
Vitamin D is not lacking in adult women
Because the Vitamin D requirement for adult women is 5 micrograms, which is only half that of children and the elderly, Chinese adult women have reached the standard of 5 micrograms, so they are not deficient in Vitamin D. However, children and the elderly have a demand twice that of adult women, so they have a certain deficiency.
Pantothenic Acid
The diet of Chinese residents is quite broad, and pantothenic acid is widely found in all kinds of foods. Therefore, the survey found that Chinese people are not lacking in pantothenic acid at all.
Vitamin E is not lacking in children and adolescents
The average daily intake of Vitamin E for Chinese children and adolescents is relatively high, reaching 300% of the RDA. This is mainly because the consumption of vegetable oils such as soybean oil and sesame oil in China is much higher than in Western countries. Vitamin E plays a significant role in improving adult fertility and antioxidant capacity, but excessive intake in children and adolescents carries greater risks.
Magnesium deficiency is rare, and symptoms of deficiency almost only occur in patients with respiratory problems, severe vomiting, or after receiving large amounts of magnesium-free infusions. Excess magnesium can cause motor muscle disorders and interfere with the body's utilization of iron. It is recommended that Chinese people not blindly supplement magnesium. Vitamin B12
Unlike Vitamin C, which stays in the human body for only 4 hours, Vitamin B12 stored in the liver can meet the body's needs for 3 to 6 years. Therefore, it is very rare for Chinese people to have a Vitamin B12 deficiency. Excess Vitamin B12 can not only lead to folate deficiency but also cause allergic reactions such as asthma, eczema, facial edema, and chills, and can cause precordial pain, palpitations, often aggravating the condition of angina or increasing its frequency of occurrence. The Nutrient Deficiencies of Chinese and Westerners are Different
When supplementing with vitamins and minerals, some people always think that Western formulas are better than Chinese ones. Those with a little nutrition knowledge know that China is a country where plant-based foods are the main staple, while Western countries are where animal-based foods are the main staple. For example, Chinese people eat more rice and flour than meat, while Westerners eat more meat than rice and flour; Chinese people can eat hundreds of kinds of dishes in their lifetime, while Westerners often eat only seven or eight kinds like steak and hamburgers; the amount of milk consumed by Chinese people is extremely small, while Westerners consume a large amount of milk. In addition, there are still differences in physique between yellow-skinned and white-skinned people. For example, 70% of Chinese people are lactose intolerant, while only 20% of Americans are. Therefore, the nutrients that Chinese people lack are very different from those of Westerners: What Westerners lack,
we Chinese do not necessarily lack.
What we lack,
Westerners do not necessarily lack.
By chance, I saw a product with a Western formula being sold in China. Reading its ingredient list, I found that Chinese people simply should not take it, for example: "Contains 50 mg of phosphorus". The phosphorus intake of Chinese people has already exceeded the recommended amount, being 151% of the RDA. If they take more phosphorus, wouldn't it make Chinese people even more deficient in calcium?! "Contains 2 mg of copper". The copper intake of Chinese people has reached 2.4 mg, which exceeds the national standard of 2.0 mg, being 120% of the RDA. If this formula is taken, the intake will increase from 2.4 mg to 4.4 mg, reaching 220% of the RDA, which is not only detrimental to health but also interferes with zinc absorption. "Contains 100 mg of calcium". The average calcium intake for Chinese people is about 40 mg, which is far from the standard of 800 mg. Therefore, Chinese people should supplement an additional 400 mg of calcium daily. Now, supplementing only 100 mg only meets 25%. I wonder how effective it can be? ...
Some children's formulas do not contain zinc, but zinc is precisely what Chinese children and adolescents urgently need to supplement, and its importance ranks first among vitamins and minerals. Some people find out they are deficient in calcium today and rush to buy a product containing calcium, taking it eagerly; tomorrow they find they are anemic and rush to take a product containing iron. As a result, their homes are piled up with a large variety of health supplements and medicines. This practice has the following disadvantages: 1. Nutritional balance in the body is still not achieved. Most people lack more than one nutrient. After taking a single supplement, they are still deficient in multiple nutrients. Since nutrients are interdependent, this will interfere with the effectiveness of the nutrients. 2. Taking several single supplements at the same time may cause an excess of other nutrients. For example: a certain calcium supplement contains 5 mg of Vitamin D, and a certain iron supplement also contains 5 mg of Vitamin D. If both are taken at the same time, it may lead to an excess of Vitamin D. 3. Supplementing vitamins and minerals must be done with a holistic approach. Under the guidance of a doctor or with the help of a knowledgeable friend, one should make an overall judgment of which vitamins and minerals they are deficient in and find a suitable plan for themselves.