Abstract

A nutritional status study assesses the amounts of vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) in people’s bodies. This is the best assessment method for most nutrients. It is usually done by analysing blood or urine. The outcome shows whether people have too much or too little of certain nutrients in their bodies. This information is used to compile an overview of the nutrient intake of the Dutch population. It is also used to support the recommendations of the Health Council of the Netherlands about nutritional supplements and the government’s nutrition policy.

RIVM has now compiled an overview of the nutritional status studies it carried out between 2005 and 2019. The outcomes make it possible to determine which nutrients require further research. For example, more research is urgently needed into vitamins B2 and D, iron, iodine, and calcium. For most of these nutrients, this need has been identified before.

This is because there are indications that adults and pregnant women ingest too little vitamin B2 and pregnant women also ingest too little vitamin D. In addition, girls and women of child-bearing age may be ingesting too little iron. Deficits of these nutrients may cause various symptoms, such as fatigue. Further research is also required into the level of iodine in the urine of children and pregnant women. For the latter group, this research is already under way. Finally, adults, children and pregnant women may be ingesting too little calcium.

These indications originate from the Dutch National Food Consumption Survey (Voedselconsumptiepeiling, VCP), as part of which people self report the amounts that they eat and drink. By carrying out a nutritional status study, it is possible to verify whether there are indeed insufficient nutrients in the body. In that case, the issue can be addressed through policy.

A nutritional status study is also suitable for nutrients about which the VCP can reveal little or no information, such as iodine or vitamin D. Moreover, a nutritional status study may be useful for certain population segments, such as young children and pregnant women. There is currently a lack of information regarding some of these population segments.

In the future, RIVM would like to improve the quality of its nutritional status studies. It has made a number of recommendations to that end. Firstly, it is important to gain a better understanding of which nutrients require research. Secondly, it may be possible to save time and money by determining the intake levels of multiple nutrients at the same time. This is currently done for each nutrient separately. To enable research into multiple nutrients simultaneously, a structural plan for the future must be drawn up.