Undernutrition is a serious problem in the Third World. In most developing countries, child poverty is a real concern and it is estimated that around 200 million children under the age of 5 years living in Asia and Africa fail to realise their potential because they do not have access to high quality foods. Whilst this problem is often thought of as being a problem associated with the Third World, increasing evidence also suggests that many children living in the developed countries that comprise the Western nations, are also at risk of undernutrition. However, in the case of the latter, access to high quality food is not the problem, but more likely that poor parental choices and detrimental family lifestyles are to blame. One of the problems with poor quality nutrition in early life, is that it is associated with detrimental health outcomes in later life, increasing the risk of a number of diseases. More recently an association between poor childhood nutrition and detrimental cognition in later life has also been demonstrated.
Undernutrition is a problem in both Western nations and developing countries. However, the consequences of undernutrition in these disparate locations are quite different. Undernutrition in developing countries is characterised by a low energy intake, coupled to a low protein intake. Evidence suggest that undernutrition in developing countries increases the risk of upper respiratory tract infections, and this can increase infant mortality and negatively affect development. This can in turn lead to poor health in later life, often coupled to suboptimal height and weight measurements. In Western nations, undernutrition is usually characterised by consumption of poor quality foods that are high in energy value, but low in essential components including vitamins and minerals. This in turn increases the risk of a number of Western lifestyle disease in later life, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
In one study researchers gave a balanced nutrition product to pregnant women and children in a number of trials in India. These interventions occurred in rural villages, and the subjects involved were poor. Another group of villagers were offered no supplement but acted as the control group. The supplement contained both energy and protein, the latter often lacking from the diets of the poorest in developing countries. The results of the study showed that children from villages given the supplement were 7.8 % more likely to be enrolled in school, and completed 0.84 more schooling grades compared to those children not given the supplement. However, there was no association between the use of the supplement and the actual grades achieved. This may therefore suggest that the supplement may have improved the health of the children such that they were physically more able to attend school. In this case therefore, the overlying problem with the children may be poor health due to poverty, which ultimately affects future outcomes.
Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself
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