Micronutrient inadequacy in Europe - causes and solutions
In a Nutshell
Dietary micronutrient deficiency in Europe is under-recognised and represents a threat to public health
Causes include modern agricultural practices, poor dietary choices and lack of nutritional training among medical professionals
Recovery from micronutrient deficiency is largely an individual responsibility requiring nutrient-dense food choices and targeted supplementation
I first identified declining micronutrient levels in food back in 2023 when I wrote Nutrients in our Food are Decreasing. I presented evidence from Great Britain, Australia, America and Finland of declining vitamins and minerals in a range of animal- and plant-based foods. I provided an update earlier this year (2025) from Britain in an article entitled The UK Diet Lacks Vitamins and Minerals alongside a related report noting British National Health Service (NHS) hospitalisations rose with vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
This article is based on a recent paper highlighting micronutrient inadequacy in Europe and especially vulnerable sections of the population [1]. I’ll cover the following from the paper:
The nature and extent of micronutrient deficiency in Europe
Causes
Impacts and Solutions
Nature and Extent
I’ve reproduced the summary table from the paper as Table 1. Unfortunately, the underlying data are not available in the publication. They do appear to originate from a project called Zero Hidden Hunger EU. The project is based on the premise that many Europeans do not receive adequately nutrient dense food. Unfortunately, I could find no references or links to data used for that basic premise. However, the stated aims of the project include gathering data, so we’’ll see what transpires.
The paper does cite a 2013 study [2] that provides detailed information on Europe and I’ll address that data in a future article.
Figure 1: Summary of micronutrient deficiency in vulnerable groups across Europe. (Mg = magnesium; red = deficiency noted; green = no deficiency noted)
The paper describes vulnerable groups in Europe, namely children, pregnant and lactating women, obese people, the elderly, and vegetarians and vegans.
A couple of quotes summarise the issues identified:
“Despite the abundance of food in high-income countries, nutrient inadequacy is a significant issue, with many individuals not meeting the recommended intakes for essential micronutrients, especially among certain demographics. For example, vitamin D deficiency is well established in Europe and has been described as reaching “pandemic” levels, affecting up to 40% of the population”
Now, it may be that low Vitamin D is actually caused by getting too little sunlight. That’s for another day. The broader issue of low dietary micronutrients is emphasized by a lack of others:
“…widespread insufficiencies have been reported across Europe for vitamins A and B12, folate, iron, calcium, iodine, magnesium, and zinc, particularly in vulnerable populations”
Potential causes
I’m impressed by and agree with the authors’ list of likely causes. It’s rare, in my experience, to find such comprehensive coverage. They identify four main drivers of low micronutrient intake across Europe:
Modern agricultural practices
Low-micronutrient convenience foods
A shift from omnivore to more plant-based diets
Limited understanding of malnutrition among medical professionals
Modern agricultural negative impacts on soil health and nutrient density is a topic I’ve previously described here. My wife and I responded by creating a vegetable garden using regenerative soil practices to provide a richer micronutrient intake.
I’ve also written extensively on the health risks of convenience foods. I refer to them as industrially processed and I strongly advocate for reducing dietary seed oils and consistently high levels of starchy (e.g., bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, etc.) and sugary (e.g., fruit juice, cakes, etc.) food.
It’s rare, in my experience, to read about the dietary shifts toward more plant-based eating as a contributor to deficiency. The authors even describe vegetarian and vegan diets as “restrictive” – a refreshingly candid description. Recent top-down, one-size-fits-all guidelines [3] advocating for reducing animal-based food strike me as promoting malnutrition for some individuals.
In my opinion, many so-called chronic diseases are symptoms of nutritional deficiencies that can be improved through better macro- and micro-nutrient intake. The excellent work of David Unwin reversing the symptoms of Type 2 Diabetes is an obvious case in point. It is important to recognize that many doctors lack education in nutrition and malnutrition.
Impacts of and solutions for micronutrient deficiency
The authors clearly state that micronutrient insufficiency remains under-recognised:
“The prevalence of dietary insufficiency and suboptimal micronutrient status across Europe, as well as the health problems caused by micronutrient insufficiencies are under-recognised issues”
Impacts
I was yet again surprised. The authors link low micronutrient diets to chronic disease – an association rarely discussed in academic literature.
“…simply preventing micronutrient deficiency is not always sufficient to provide health resilience and optimal health or reduce the risk of chronic disease for all.”
Since I started this blog in 2022, I’ve linked my heart disease to modern malnutrition.
The authors proceed to highlight the wider benefits of improving micronutrient intake:
“…there could be considerable socioeconomic impact in the form of reduced healthcare costs, greater productivity, and associated long term savings.”
Solutions
A take-home quote before considering all else:
“To effectively promote optimal health, it is crucial to recognize that nutritional needs cannot be met using a one-size fits all approach”
What, then, are the solutions to micronutrient deficiency in Europe? This is where I disagree with the authors. They are very focused on supplements to the exclusion of all else. This is not surprising when you consider that the authors work for Bayer, Nestle, and Amway and they received additional support from Food Supplements Europe.
I use supplements and have previously described how they eliminated my life-long allergies. I’ve also specifically described supplements for and sources of Vitamin D, magnesium, and electrolytes.
However, there’s more to nutrition than supplements, so here’s my list:
Supplements – as necessary
Overall dietary improvement – I opted for a low carbohydrate omnivorous diet
Nutrient dense food
Sunlight – off the topic of micronutrients but I suspect no amount of dietary improvement will deliver without the benefits of our oldest evolutionary driver, natural sunlight
Summary
This paper is refreshingly comprehensive and honest about the causes of and solutions for micronutrient deficiency in Europe.
The root causes include modern agricultural practices, harmful dietary choices, and inadequate nutritional training among doctors. A solution should include overall dietary improvement with particular attention to nutrient-dense ingredients. Adequate and safe sunlight exposure is likely to help.
Finally, the authors recognize that irrespective of the causes and solutions, an individual (n=1) approach is necessary:
“…people require different levels and combinations of nutrients to adequately support their own optimal health – a complex issue that could be dependant on factors such as genetics, lifestyle, nutrient interactions, and other independent factors”
References
Christie S, Crooks D, Thomson-Selibowitz R, Green-Woolard A, Mantantzis K. Micronutrient inadequacy in Europe: the overlooked role of food supplements in health resilience. Front Nutr. 2025 Sep 24;12:1686365. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1686365. PMID: 41070029; PMCID: PMC12504307.
Mensink GBM, Fletcher R, Gurinovic M, et al. Mapping low intake of micronutrients across Europe. British Journal of Nutrition. 2013;110(4):755-773. doi:10.1017/S000711451200565X
Leonard UM, Davies KP, Lindberg L, Woodside JV, Nugent AP, O'Sullivan AM, Gibney ER, McCarthy SN, Arranz E, Kiely ME. Impact of sustainable diets on micronutrient intakes and status: outcomes of the MyPlanetDiet randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2025 Sep 8:S0002-9165(25)00525-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.09.009. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 40930463.