Soil Micronutrient Deficiency Tied to Childhood Stunting Crisis in India
The existence of zinc in soil is instrumental in averting stunted childhood growth, while iron in soil plays a crucial role in maintaining healthy levels of hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells responsible for oxygen transport, stated study published in the journal Scientific Reports ().
Stunting is a condition due to chronic undernutrition that is associated with poor brain development and long-lasting harmful consequences, such as reduced school performance and increased disease risks. For the study, researchers from the Stanford University in the US analysed health data from nearly 300,000 children and one million women across India with over 27 million soil tests drawn from a nationwide soil health programme.
Examining the Impact of Soil Mineral Availability on Children's Health
The study is the first large-scale study to examine the association between children's nutritional status or health outcomes and soil mineral availability in India. It shows that adding minerals to farmland soil could help prevent conditions associated with long-lasting harmful consequences. "Our results add to a growing body of literature suggesting that interventions like micronutrient-enriched fertilizers may have a positive effect on health," said lead author Claire Morton, an undergraduate in mathematics and computational science at Stanford.‘A study conducted on children in India, where over a third of those under five experience stunting, has revealed that the inclusion of zinc in agricultural soil can be effective in mitigating childhood stunting. #stuntinginkids #malnutrition #malnourishedkids #stuntinginindia’
"This doesn't prove that those interventions would be cost-effective for India, but it's an exciting indication that they are worth testing," Morton added. As a result, the researchers suggest that the potential benefits of using zinc-enriched fertilizers as health interventions deserves more consideration in India specifically and perhaps more generally.
"We're not saying that geography is destiny, but soils really do seem to play a role in shaping child health," said David Lobell, professor of Earth system science in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability. "Even if this is only a small role, understanding it could help to identify better approaches to solving child stunting in India, which is one of the single biggest and long standing challenges in global food security."
Reference:
- Soil micronutrients linked to human health in India - (https:www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-39084-8)