Air pollution, vitamin B12 deficiency major factors behind rising anaemia cases in India: Experts

While anaemia is long known to be caused by iron deficiency experts on Thursday noted that air pollution and vitamin B12 deficiency have emerged as major culprits behind its increasing prevalence in the countryAnaemia occurs when there isnrsquot enough haemoglobin in the body to carry oxygen to the organs and tissues The condition which mainly affects women and children leads to the lower count of red blood cells or the haemoglobin In severe cases anaemia can cause poor cognitive and motor development in childrenldquoEmerging research has suggested that anaemia in India is not solely due to iron deficiency Two additional factors warrant attention air pollution and vitamin B12 deficiencyrdquo Dr K Madan Gopal a public health expert working at the National Health Systems Resource Center a premier think tank of the Health Ministry New Delhi told IANSA recent study led by the Indian Council of Medical Research ICMR published in the peerreviewed European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that iron deficiency contributes only marginally to its prevalence with the other two factors playing a much larger role in the widespread occurrence of anaemia in the countryGopal explained that exposure to fine particulate matter PM25 can lead to systemic inflammation This inflammation interferes with the production and survival of red blood cells exacerbating anaemialdquoEfforts to improve air quality at the community level such as local monitoring of pollution sources and public education on pollution mitigation can positively impact overall health and by extension reduce inflammationinduced anaemiardquo the expert saidldquoLongterm PM25 exposure lowers haemoglobin levels by 23 per cent increasing anaemia risk by 1215 per centrdquo Dr Sabine Kapasi advisor United Nations Covid19 Task Force told IANSIn addition vitamin B12 is also crucial for properly forming red blood cells In populations with predominantly vegetarian diets inadequate vitamin B12 intake is common ldquoOver 50 per cent of Indians lack vitamin B12 due to poor diets leading to megaloblastic anaemia marked by weakness dizziness and cognitive issuesrdquo Kapasi saidAnaemia remains a significant public health challenge in India The recent data from the National Family Health Survey NFHS5 indicate that approximately 57 per cent of women of reproductive age and 67 per cent of children aged 659 months are affected by anaemiaTo fight the condition the government has rolled out Anemia Mukt Bharat which focuses on supplementing diets with iron and folic acid fortifying staple foods and strengthening primary healthcare deliveryHowever Gopal noted that addressing anaemia requires more than topdown approachesldquoAt the community level we must empower local health workers community leaders and nongovernmental organisations to take ownership of anaemia as a critical health concern By integrating nutritional education into local outreach programmes communities can be encouraged to adopt diversified diets and better hygiene practices Anaemia must become a felt need at the grassroots levelrdquo he told IANSAlongside iron supplementation the experts also suggested educating communities on the importance of a balanced diet that includes B12rich foods or fortified alternatives and early screening for B12 levelsThey also urged a holistic approach with the fortification of staples like rice and wheat targeted nutrition awareness and tackling environmental triggers like air pollution to fight anaemiaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever