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.

Aging associated with development of dysphagia

Nearly 40 percent of Americans 60 and older are living with a swallowing disorder known as dysphagia. Although it is a major health problem associated with aging, it is unknown whether the condition is a natural part of healthy aging or if it is caused by an age-related disease that has yet to be diagnosed, such as Parkinson's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

8 Apr 2015

Jr. NBA and FrieslandCampina partnership promotes active lifestyle in South-East Asian children

FrieslandCampina and Jr. NBA today celebrate the first anniversary of their successful partnership designed to encourage an active lifestyle amongst children in South-East Asia.

25 Mar 2015

Anorexics’ brains are wired differently, shows study

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have pinpointed differences in brain function that may help to explain how people with anorexia nervosa can continue to starve themselves, even when already emaciated.

24 Mar 2015

Discovery can help stop emergence of age-related neurodegenerative diseases

As medicine has improved, increasing our ability to treat disease, so our longevity. The deterioration of the body with age, though, is a whole other matter.

23 Mar 2015

New analysis of medieval cesspit in Jerusalem provides window into spread of infectious diseases

A new analysis of a medieval cesspit in the Christian quarter of the old city of Jerusalem has revealed the presence of a number of ancient parasite eggs, providing a window into the nature and spread of infectious diseases in the Middle East during the 15th century.

23 Mar 2015

GW, Children's National researchers awarded $6.2 million grant to solve pediatric dysphagia

An interdisciplinary group of researchers from the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Children's National Health System has been awarded a program project grant (PPG) for $6.2 million from The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to solve pediatric dysphagia -- a chronic difficulty with feeding and swallowing in children.

17 Mar 2015

WHO urges affected countries to increase investment in tackling neglected tropical diseases

WHO urges affected countries to scale up their investment in tackling 17 neglected tropical diseases in order to improve the health and well-being of more than 1.5 billion people. This investment would represent as little as 0.1% of current domestic expenditure on health in affected low and middle income countries for the period 2015-2030.

19 Feb 2015

Microbes prevent malnutrition in fruit flies - and maybe humans too

A study by scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) sheds significant new light on a surprising and critical role that microbes may play in nutritional disorders such as protein malnutrition. Using fruit flies—Drosophila melanogaster—as a simple and easily studied stand-in for humans, these new findings advance our understanding of the fundamental mechanisms underlying microbial contributions to metabolism and may point to long-term strategies to treat and prevent malnutrition in general.

16 Feb 2015

Report: Proposed SDGs may not achieve policy objectives without clearer, more measurable targets

The proposed UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) - a universal set of goals to guide international development to 2030 - will struggle to achieve their stated policy objectives without clearer, more measurable targets, according to a new report released today by the International Council for Science and the International Social Science Council.

16 Feb 2015

Study supports more sustainable recovery for malnourished children

Children treated for moderate acute malnutrition — a condition suffered by an estimated 35 million children worldwide — experience a disturbingly high rate of relapse and even death in the year following treatment and recovery.

11 Feb 2015

Study suggests that gastric bypass should be used with caution to treat extreme obesity

Based on five-year follow-up of patients in a randomized clinical trial, researchers have concluded that gastric bypass is the preferred treatment for extreme obesity. This is despite the fact that it is not as effective in reducing body weight as the so-called duodenal switch.

11 Feb 2015

Infectious diseases expert discusses the myths and facts about measles outbreak

Measles, a highly contagious respiratory infection that causes serious complications in about 3 of 10 people, has been grabbing headlines since last December's outbreak at Disneyland. In January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported 102 cases of measles in 14 states. One unconfirmed case was just reported in New Jersey. Measured against the approximately 600 cases reported in 2014, this year is on track to set a record for a disease that was declared eradicated in the United States in 2000.

8 Feb 2015

U of T's Marialena Mouzaki named Best International Abstract Awardee by A.S.P.E.N.

Marialena Mouzaki, MD, MSc, an assistant professor at University of Toronto and a staff gastroenterologist at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children, has been named the Best International Abstract Awardee by the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral. The award is for her research on pediatric end-stage liver disease that she will present at A.S.P.E.N.'s Clinical Nutrition Week scientific conference in Long Beach, California, February 14 to 17.

6 Feb 2015

Gluten-free diet important for people with celiac disease

You'd never suspect it from the proliferation of gluten-free items on supermarket shelves. Yet only one in approximately 133 people - that's 0.75 percent of the population - has celiac disease, a genetic autoimmune disorder that causes the body to react negatively to the intake of gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye, barley and their derivatives.

29 Jan 2015

Pollinator decline could increase risk of malnutrition, disease

A new study shows that more than half the people in some developing countries could become newly at risk for malnutrition if crop-pollinating animals -- like bees -- continue to decline.

28 Jan 2015

Aging: A risk factor for malnutrition

Health care systems and providers are not attuned to older adults' malnutrition risk, and ignoring malnutrition exacts a toll on hospitals, patients, and payers, according to the latest issue of the What's Hot newsletter from The Gerontological Society of America.

18 Dec 2014

Danish researchers working on new type of vaccine that targets disease causing bacterium

When we acquire diarrhea on a vacation, it is often caused by a bacterial infection. Now a Danish research team is working on a new type of vaccine design targeting the disease causing bacterium - if it works it may very well revolutionize not only the prevention of this disease, but also offer protection against other pathogens with a heavy disease burden such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis and antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

12 Dec 2014

Standardized set of measurements may help identify malnutrition among young children

Using a standardized set of measurements will help health professionals more accurately diagnose malnutrition among children ages 1 month to 18 years, as well as improve their treatment, according to a new joint statement from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition.

10 Dec 2014

Malnutrition predicts long-term survival in elderly patients undergoing Whipple procedure

Malnutrition is an important factor predicting long-term survival in older patients undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) (commonly called the Whipple procedure) to treat benign tumors and cysts of the pancreas as well as pancreatitis, according to new study results published in the December issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

6 Dec 2014

Disease-associated malnutrition imposes economic burden on society

Even in food-abundant industrialized countries like the U.S., an alarming number of people, particularly seniors, are in a state of diseased-associated malnutrition. Because of the impact on patient health, disease-associated malnutrition imposes a significant economic burden on society of $157 billion per year, according to new research published in a supplemental issue of the Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition and supported by Abbott.

4 Dec 2014