The National Institutes of Health Agenda for International Research in Micronutrient Nutrition and Infection Interactions

Nutrition is a central public health concern in the twenty-first century. Previous international research in nutrition was primarily descriptive epidemiology and included large-scale intervention trials. There has been insufficient attention to the mechanisms by which nutrient supplements appear to reduce mortality and little specificity in application and delineation of the forms of a specific nutrient to maximize benefits and minimize adverse affects and on the effect of nutrient combinations. After the dramatic success of the green revolution, agricultural research support was reduced despite an expanding world population and an increasing need for agricultural products. The potential of molecular genetics to improve food quality, specific nutrient content, and yield and disease resistance has just begun to be explored. In addition, the development of edible vaccines as a way to immunize a greater proportion of the world's children is a highly desirable goal and is achievable with sufficient resources.