From the national survey it was revealed that the proportion of women aged 19 to 64 years not achieving the lower reference nutrient intake (the amount needed for just 2.5 percent of the population – with the majority of people needing more) for folate more than doubled between 2016 and 2019.
While intake for vitamin A, zinc and iron rose.
Overall, there was concern about women’s vitamin and mineral intake in general.
Study co-author and HSIS dietitian, Dr Carrie Ruxton, said: “Across the seven ages of women – from childhood to older age – specific nutrients are needed for optimal health, as well as to support pregnancy, lactation, and menopause.
“Women have unique vitamin, mineral, and fatty acid needs which, if they’re not met by diet, could lead to ill-health, or affect the development of the next generation.
