Last month SciDev.net released an article revealing a common oversight in the way we view and talk about undernutrition. Though the word “hunger” is often used as an emotive term to “conjure images of famine and starvation in the developing world,” the dietary problems that plague more than one third of the world’s children are more complex than just a lack of calories. While high-calorie staple foods – like maize and rice - may fill the belly, necessities like protein and micronutrients are missing from many diets. As the author Priya Shetty explains, people “can survive [on these foods], but cannot flourish.”

The article, “The Challenge of Improving Nutrition: Facts and Figures” makes it clear that simply providing food is not enough. The numbers noted in the article are staggering.*

•    1.02 billion people suffer from undernutrition.
•    99% of undernourished people live in developing countries.
•    More than 60% of the chronically undernourished population is female.
•    6 million child deaths are linked to malnutrition.
•    1.5 million children die every year because they waste away from undernutrition.
•    178 million children become physically stunted, partly because of not having enough food or vitamins.
•    US $20-30 billion is what undernutrition is estimated to cost economic development each year.

What’s more the consequences of a diet lacking in micronutrients can be severe, even deadly.

•    More than 500,000 child deaths every year are linked to lack of vitamin A.
•    More than 20% of children under in developing countries suffer from iron deficiency-related anemia.
•    40-60% of children in developing countries have impaired mental development due to iron deficiency.
•    Zinc deficiency is linked to 176,000 deaths from diarrhea and 406,000 deaths from pneumonia each year.

As illustrated by the numbers above, children are the hardest hit by malnutrition which often begins as early as conception. This leads to problems with proper development inutero, low birth weights, birth defects and low child survival rates. The article explains that the effects of micronutrient deficiencies on children are devastating, “up to half a million vitamin A deficient children go blind every year, half of them dying within a year of losing their sight.”

Micronutrient supplementation is one method which is widely recommended and has proven effective in reducing problems associated with nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition. “WHO estimates that 1.25 million deaths have been averted since 1998 through vitamin A supplements. [Iron] supplementation in Nicaragua has reduced anaemia among pregnant women by a third.” Other methods recommended by international agencies include fortifying food staples, like sugar and wheat flour, and powdered micronutrient packets (Sprinkles). Education and investments in agricultural science, are just two of the methods mentioned as long-term solutions.

The need for swift action is vital to saving the lives and futures of today’s children. There is increasing evidence that the damage caused by undernutrition is irreversible after the age of two and it is crucial that good nutrition is achieved from the earliest point possible, as studies suggest “early nutritional interventions have persistent effects on schooling and economic productivity.” A study in Guatemala showed that boys consistently given a highly nutritious supplement before age three were found to have improved reading comprehension and nonverbal cognitive ability as adults, as well as earn 46% higher average hourly wages.
Scientists are also increasingly realizing the link between nutrition and controlling both infectious and chronic disease. As malnutrition weakens the immune system, susceptibility to infection increases. Infection depletes nutrient and energy stores, which inhibits treatment and worsens the damage caused infectious disease. This vicious and often deadly cycle has contributed to the HIV epidemic for decades. “Undernourished people have compromised immune systems, making them more vulnerable to HIV infection. HIV infection, in turn, makes it harder for people to absorb nutrients from food because of frequent diarrhea. It also disrupts the absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins, exacerbating nutrient deficiencies.” While supplements are no substitute to antiretrovirals, nutrition is a key ingredient to treatment that is often disregarded.

The main point of Shetty’s article is one that is often overlooked – an increase in food supplies does not necessarily translate into improved nutrition. Even as some populations increase their caloric intake, the bulk of their calories come from fat and sugar, and the amount of micronutrient rich foods such as fruits and vegetables remains low. While many developing nations have already prioritized food security, the need for governments and organizations to increase nutrition security is necessary in order to ensure the health and development of today’s children and those of generations to come.

* Adapted from statistics published by the WHO and the World Food Programme.

Read the article>>