Overview of the nutritional status of selected micronutrients in Mexican children in 2006

objetive: to present an overview of micronutrient status of mexican children in 2006. materials and methods: data on iron, zinc, folate and vitamin b12 deficiencies and low serum copper and magnesium were gathered and critically analyzed from the 2006 national health and nutrition survey. results: iron deficiency is still the main nutritional deficiency in children (13%-26%). zinc deficiency was high in all age groups (≈25%) but reduced 5.6 pp in children <5 y from 1999 to 2006. folate deficiency was 3.2% and vitamin b12 deficiency 7.7% in children. low serum magnesium and copper were high (22.6% and 30.6%, respectively). conclusions: the prevalence of iron deficiency seems to be lowering, and zinc deficiency has reduced in mexican children. a high prevalence of copper and magnesium deficiencies warrants further research on their public health implications.