Although obesity and malnourishment continue to be important issues in the U.S., a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has some good news: most Americans receive sufficient levels of essential vitamins and minerals, despite the fact that our diets can be questionable overall. In fact, the report states that less than 10% of individuals are deficient for the vast majority of nutrients.

At the same time, CDC researchers warned that deficiency rates vary according to a number of factors, including ethnicity, gender and age. Christine Pfeiffer, one of the lead researchers behind the recently published study conducted by the CDC National Center for Environmental Health, said that the medical community needs to increase their effort to reign in the highest nutrient deficiency rates.

Nutrient Deficiencies Vary Significantly by Population Group

In order to conduct their study appropriately, clinical researchers from the CDC analyzed urine and blood samples from individuals between the years of 2003 and 2006. The researchers tested for the presence and quantity of 58 different nutrients.

The researchers then came to the following conclusions about the general U.S. population:

• For vitamin B6, 10.5% are deficient

• For vitamin D, 8.1% are deficient

• For iron, 6.7% are deficient

• For vitamin C, 6% are deficient

• For vitamin B12, 2% are deficient

• For vitamin A, vitamin E and folate, less than 1% are deficient

However, vitamin D deficiency varied greatly across ethnic groups as follows:

• 31% of African Americans are vitamin D deficient

• 12% of Mexican Americans are vitamin D deficient

• 3% of Whites are vitamin D deficient

The researchers noted that non-Hispanic blacks tended to have improved bone health despite a relative lack of vitamin D sufficiency. More work is needed to determine why.

Iodine and Iron Deficiencies Vary as Well

The CDC report states that deficiencies for certain nutrients such as iodine and iron vary heavily according to factors such as gender and ethnicity as well.

In particular, women between the ages of 20 and 39 may need to consume more iodine than they do currently. The average woman in this age group barely receives enough iodine, according to the researchers. Iodine is crucial to the optimal functioning of the thyroid, and subsequently growth and development. Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant in the near future should always consume sufficient levels of iodine to ensure that the baby’s brain develops properly during pregnancy.

As for iron, the researchers found the greatest deficiencies in the following population groups:

• 11% of Mexican American children between the ages of 1 and 5 are iron deficient

• 13% of Mexican American women of childbearing age are iron deficient

• 16% of African Americans are iron deficient

Folate Sufficiency is On the Rise

The researchers were especially excited to learn that folate deficiency is largely becoming a non-issue in the United States. In fact, current average folate levels are almost 50% higher today than they were in 1998, when most cereal manufacturers began to fortify their products with folate.

In the future, the CDC will try to better determine how lifestyle, socioeconomic and cultural factors influence nutrient deficiency.

Nutritional Deficiencies: The Bottom Line

A new CDC report indicates that most Americans receive sufficient levels of important vitamins and nutrients. However, nutrient deficiency varies by population group, with certain ethnicities and age groups lacking in certain nutrients. The data is surprising given that Americans are typically considered to have poor diets overall.