Dear Colleagues,

Anemia is a major public health problem and one of the most common nutritional disorders worldwide. It mainly affects people from developing countries, but it can also affect certain groups in developed nations. Anemia has major consequences for human health, causing severe medical issues and affecting a person’s overall health and wellbeing  in addition to being associated with an increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Therefore, control programs should be implemented in every group of at-risk patients.

The term ‘nutritional anemia’ refers to a pathological condition in which blood hemoglobin concentration drops to an abnormally low level due to an imbalance in food intake. This leads to a deficiency of one or more nutrients. The most frequent forms of deficiency anemias are caused by a lack of the essential nutrients in the diet needed for erythropoiesis such as iron, vitamin B12, and folic acid. However, deficiency of other vitamins as vitamins A, B 2, B 6, C, D, and E, and micronutrients, such as copper, zinc, magnesium, cobalt, and molybdenum, may also contribute.

Anemia caused by iron deficiency is prevalent in certain life periods, such as pregnancy, breast feeding, childhood, and adolescence, when bodily nutritional requirements increase. It can also be found in people following weight loss regimens or post-bariatric surgery, in individuals of low-income classes, or those with comorbid conditions (e.g., incomplete dentition). In the elderly, one third of cases are due to nutritional deficiencies: primarily iron but also folate and vitamin B. Anemia in this latter group will represent a substantial burden for the future, owing to the globally increase in the elderly population. Global data on the prevalence and causes of anemia among the elderlies are limited, but it is well-known that the prevalence of anemia increases with time, starting at the age of 50 years, more commonly in women.  Finally, nutritional anemia, especially due to iron deficiency, might be present in vegetarian individuals in pediatric age, as well as in adults. Eradication of nutritional anemia by an effective intervention must be a priority, requiring attention and action. Although various factors can reduce the risk of anemia, the best and most sustainable strategy for preventing nutritional deficiency is dietary improvement. Investigating the effect of diet on the prevention and treatment of nutritional anemia remains a current topic.

Anemia and diet assessment is a field that involves many specialists, such as hematologists, pediatricians, geriatricians, gynecologists, nutritionists, and epidemiologists. In this Special Issue of Nutrients, we would like to assembles scientific contributions about nutritional anemias and diet assessment in all age groups and in different conditions in order to offer a comprehensive report of the most recent knowledge. Both clinical trials and mini-reviews will be considered and accepted.

Prof. Dr. Roberto Miniero
Guest Editor

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• anemia
• iron deficiency
• micronutrients
• diet
• malnutrition
• vitamin B12
• folic acid