Malnutrition News and Research

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Malnutrition is a condition which occurs when there is a deficiency of certain vital nutrients in a person’s diet. The deficiency fails to meet the demands of the body leading to effects on the growth, physical health, mood, behaviour and other functions of the body. Malnutrition commonly affects children and the elderly.

Poorest countries have high levels of both obesity and malnutrition

Malnutrition involves consuming nutrients that are either too much or not enough in a way that it causes health problems. The health issue has been a longstanding predicament worldwide, and now, a new study shows that a third of the poorest countries in the world are facing high levels of obesity, as well as undernutrition.

16 Dec 2019

More than one-third of poorer countries have overlapping forms of malnutrition

A new approach to food systems is needed to help low- and middle-income countries reduce both obesity and undernutrition, two issues that have become increasingly connected, according to the first paper in a four-paper report published in The Lancet.

16 Dec 2019

More than a third of low- and middle-income countries face double burden of malnutrition

A new approach is needed to help reduce undernutrition and obesity at the same time, as the issues become increasingly connected due to rapid changes in countries' food systems.

16 Dec 2019

New project aims to investigate food availability, security among indigenous populations in Australia

An international research team has received a $1.4 million grant from the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council to investigate food availability and food security among indigenous mothers and children in remote Australian communities.

15 Dec 2019

Study finds African children are growing better because of America’s Feed the Future program

A new Stanford study published on December 11, 2019, in the BMJ, says that Feed the Future is indeed making an impact on over 2 million children in sub-Saharan Africa, who have been saved from experiencing malnutrition with its related issues. Feed the Future is a US governmental program that focuses on reducing global hunger and ensuring greater food security.

12 Dec 2019

Immune cells repair damaged gut in children with IBD

According to a new study published in the journal Gastroenterology, immune cells of a certain kind which regulate inflammatory processes and even help restore normal gut function after inflammation could be of great use to treat children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

11 Dec 2019

Typhoid conjugate vaccine proves its worth in the field

A new typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) that has been approved by the World Health Organization (WHO) Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety has proved extremely effective in both young children and adults in a high-endemicity area for the first time. With almost 82% of recipients showing protection against typhoid, the vaccine promises to help control this deadly disease that claims up to 160,000 of its 11 million victims each year.

5 Dec 2019

Global calorie requirements likely to increase in future

The amount of food needed to feed the world's population in the future is of vital importance. To date, scientists have only considered this question from the perspective of how much food people can afford to buy, how much food is healthy or what can be sustainably produced.

5 Dec 2019

Changes in placenta could mean males born to older mothers more prone to heart problems

A new study in rats shows that older mother rats develop poorer placentas which are in turn related to later risk of heart problems in their male offspring. The study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, shows that both male and female offspring are smaller in size when the mother is older. However, the placental development in older mothers with male fetuses is especially impaired, leading to worse placental function. As a result, heart problems are more common in later life in these offspring, as is high blood pressure.

28 Nov 2019

Eating disorder can affect pregnancy outcome and offspring’s health

A pregnant woman with an eating disorder needs to be screened for complications more carefully because she is high-risk.

21 Nov 2019

UMass Amherst professor wins 2019 Nils Foss Excellence Prize for pioneering work in food design

University of Massachusetts Amherst Distinguished Professor David Julian McClements was honored Monday in Hillerød, Denmark, with the 2019 Nils Foss Excellence Prize for his pioneering work in food design and nanotechnology.

18 Nov 2019

Climate change poses unprecedented threat to children's health

A report warns that climate change poses an unprecedented threat to children and will have lifelong impacts on human health.

14 Nov 2019

New clinical trial aims to reduce malnutrition among patients with lung cancer

A new clinical trial at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute aims to reduce malnutrition among patients with lung cancer by offering nutritional counseling and medically tailored meals to at-risk patients.

12 Nov 2019

Nutritional supplements decrease child mortality

More than half of child deaths worldwide stem from preventable causes, such as adverse effects from malnutrition.

8 Nov 2019

1.6 billion people can’t afford suggested healthy ‘green’ diet

According to a new study published on November 8, 2019, in The Lancet Global Health, a universal diet designed to keep both humans and the earth in good shape has one fatal flaw – more than 1.5 billion people, mostly in the developing world, would have to spend more than they earn to buy that kind of food.

7 Nov 2019

Multidisciplinary program in conflict zone improves childhood nutrition

A study led by a researcher at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health finds that a multidisciplinary program within a conflict zone in Armenia was successful in improving several measures of childhood nutrition. Results appear in the journal Public Health Nutrition.

7 Nov 2019

Researchers develop new test to detect nutrient deficiencies in harsh environments

Mothers and children in low resource communities may appear well fed but often suffer from micronutrient deficiencies.

29 Oct 2019

Some plant foods causing paralysis, death, in malnourished populations

There are a lot of plants eaten for food that may also contain toxins that harm the brain and the nervous system, when present in amounts that cross the limit of individual tolerance. This happens when such toxin-containing foods are the chief or only source of nutrition.

26 Oct 2019

Healthy behavior must be established earlier in life to improve health in old age

Reduced food intake helps both animals and humans to improve health in old age and can prolong life.

23 Oct 2019

Celiac disease may now be curable with biodegradable nanoparticles

A phase 2 trial just concluded shows that people with celiac disease may now be able to hope for a cure, through a treatment that makes the immune system tolerant towards gluten. This could eventually make it possible for such individuals to eat gluten-containing foods without fear.

22 Oct 2019