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According to a paper published today in Science Advances, women and pregnant women are underrepresented in the studies used to create the dietary recommendations for Americans and Canadians.
“Our research is the first comprehensive review of the underlying research that provides nutrient reference values. These are used for so many things: from developing federal food programs to deciding what’s in your granola bar to determining the makeup of your prenatal vitamins, ”said Emily R. Smith, Assistant Professor of Exercise and Nutrition at the George Washington University. “Our study highlights gaps in our knowledge about the exact amount of micronutrients we need to eat to protect the health of women, including pregnant women.”
Smith and her colleagues reviewed all of the studies that support the micronutrient reference values set out in the Dietary Reference Values for the United States and Canada.
The team found that almost a quarter of the studies included only men, and in research that included women, female participants were underrepresented compared to men. Studies that used the most advanced research methods were least likely to include women. Pregnant or breastfeeding women were included in only 17% of the studies, a loophole that makes it difficult to provide nutritional advice to keep mothers and babies healthy, Smith said.
Smith and her team also found that 90% of the studies in this topic did not identify the racial or ethnicity of the participants, a finding that gives cause for concern that minorities are also underrepresented.
“Future versions of these national and international guideline reports should include metrics on diversity and inclusion, and all data used must be examined for gender impacts. Funders and researchers must redouble efforts to include women and pregnant women in studies that can inform future versions of the nutrient reference values, ”said Smith. “Ultimately, such efforts would help the private sector, governments, and the public obtain the nutritional information they need for good health.”
The study “Limited data exist to inform our basic understanding of micronutrient needs in pregnancy” was published online in Science Advances on October 22nd.
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More information:
Emily R. Smith, Limited data exist to provide our basic understanding of micronutrient needs in pregnancy, Science Advances (2021). DOI: 10.1126 / sciadv.abj8016. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abj8016 Provided by
George Washington University
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Study suggests women and pregnant women are underrepresented in research to inform nutritional benchmarks (2021, October 22)
accessed on October 22, 2021
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