Fighting vitamin A deficiency with 'golden' rice

摘要

The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and national rice research institutes in Bangladesh and the Philippines have joined with Helen Keller International (HKI), a leading global health organisation that reduces blindness and prevents malnutrition worldwide, in a new effort to further develop and evaluate Golden Rice as a potential tool to reduce vitamin A deficiency. Golden Rice is a unique type of rice that contains beta carotene, a source of vitamin A. Vitamin A deficiency is the leading cause of preventable blindness in children. It also impairs immune system function and increases the risk of death from certain childhood diseases.