Folic acid, found in dried beans, leafy vegetables and fruit, may help in preventing it.
"For this reason, we try to educate the men too. We tell them that their wives must take enough food, like vegetables, egg, yoghurt, beans, meat and iodine," Mayar said, adding that iodine deficiency is serious in the northern provinces, leading to goiter, bad eyesight and skin problems.
Aid groups are distributing essential foodstuffs to the poorest places in Badakhshan, while government health workers are trying to educate people in nutrition.
"Here, we cannot find any vegetables and fruit, and people lack all sorts of vitamins," said Abdi Mohammed, head of a government clinic in Eshkashem, in the north of Badakhshan.
"We want to start teaching people about nutrition."
Badakhshan is helped by many aid organizations but long-term development strategies and permanent solutions are needed to help change the way people live and earn their livelihood.
"Yes, we save lives, we stop them from dying, but how long can we do it?" said one aid expert, who declined to be identified.
"It's deep-rooted, chronic food insecurity that has nothing to do with short-term disasters. The solution is to bring in development, long-term sustainable projects, improve irrigation, livestock, introduce high-yield crops."
