Nutritionists reveal that 72% of Nigerian children and 50% of women are anaemic

NUTRITION experts have revealed shocking statistics showing that a whopping 72% of Nigerian children are anaemic while a colossal one in two Nigerian women of child-bearing age suffered from anaemia.

 

In a presentation tagged Prevalence & Consequences of Anaemia among Women, Teenage Girls and Pregnant Women in Nigeria, experts have warned that the country faces a crisis in this area.  Professor Ngozi Nnam, the national president of Nutrition Society of Nigeria (NSN), said the consequences of the problem had impacted seriously on children’s cognitive development and performance, pregnancy outcomes and work capacity as well as physical activity.

 

Professor Nnam, who further explained that iron deficiency had been implicated as the most common cause of anaemia globally, described anaemia as a condition in which the number of red blood cells or their oxygen-carrying capacity was insufficient to meet physiologic needs. She added that anaemia was associated with fatigue, weakness, dizziness and drowsiness.

 

“Pregnant women, women and adolescent girls of reproductive age and children are particularly vulnerable. Iron-deficiency anaemia during infancy and the first years of life has long term effects on cognitive performance,” Professor Nnam added.

 

She noted the role iron played in normal cognitive function, stating that inadequate dietary iron intake in humans led to reduced oxygen circulation, which could impair cognitive function and result in deficits in attention, perceptual motor speed, memory and verbal fluency. In addition, Professor Nnam explained that a recent meta-analysis found significantly improved measures of attention and concentration in children between the ages of five and 12 and improved intelligence quotient, among anaemic children who took iron supplements.

 

Professor Nnam added: “Iron contributes to a normal functioning immune system. Human studies show that iron deficient individuals have significantly lower immune parameters than individuals with normal iron status, suggesting that iron is required for regeneration and maintenance of the immune system."

 

Dr Folake Samuel, senior lecturer in the Department of Human Nutrition at the University of Ibadan revealed the details of preliminary research findings’ by Unilever. These showed that although the awareness that iron in vegetables was beneficial for health was high, many Nigerian women of reproductive age were anaemic.