Linkages between trace elements in food crops and human health

Abstract

Malnutrition accounts for more than 30 million deaths a year in mostly resource-poor families in the developing world. Much of this malnutrition is the result of insufficient intakes of available trace elements in the diets of the poor. Dysfunctional food systems are responsible for this global crisis in human health. Importantly, agricultural systems are the foundation upon which all nutrients enter the human food chain. Thus, agriculture must be contributing to dysfunctional food systems and the resulting malnutrition. Only through linking agricultural systems to human nutrition can sustainable solutions to malnutrition be forthcoming. This review focuses on many agricultural practices that can be used to change agricultural systems in ways that will help supply enough essential trace elements to the poor to meet their needs for healthy and productive lives.