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.

U.N. official says North Korea needs external assistance to ensure food, health security

"The well-being of millions of people in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) still depends on external assistance, a United Nations humanitarian official said [Friday], warning that without aid, their health and food security would be seriously compromised," the U.N. News Centre reports.

19 Mar 2013

Global efforts to address malnutrition should factor in immunization

"On Red Nose Day, we are reminded of the famine in Ethiopia that triggered the first Comic Relief, over 25 years ago," and "as we reflect, we now know that the link between malnutrition and infectious disease makes for a particularly vicious circle," Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI Alliance, writes in an opinion piece in the Guardian's "Global Development Professionals Network."

19 Mar 2013

Study: Dietary deficiency of mineral selenium likely to be endemic among Malawi population

Enriching crops by adding a naturally-occurring soil mineral to fertilisers could potentially help to reduce disease and premature death in the African country of Malawi, researchers have said.

14 Mar 2013

Many challenges exist to delivering proven interventions for preventing pediatric HIV infections

Last week's "scientific report on the 'functional cure' of a HIV-infected infant has set the world's media ablaze with discussion and speculation," Randal Kuhn, director of the Global Health Affairs Program at the University of Denver's Josef Korbel School of International Studies, and Benjamin Young, chief medical officer of the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care, write in a GlobalPost opinion piece.

12 Mar 2013

Cell phone microscope can detect intestinal worm infections in children

Scientists working in rural Tanzania have used a simple US$8 glass lens, a strip of double-sided tape, and a cheap flashlight to convert an Apple iPhone into a field microscope that can successfully detect intestinal worm infections in children, according to a study published online today by the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

12 Mar 2013

International community urged to disburse pledged funds to help Yemen

"The international community has been urged to follow Saudi Arabia's example by releasing funds pledged to help Yemen address its growing humanitarian crisis and economic, social and security challenges," the Guardian reports.

11 Mar 2013

U.N. FAO head, E.U. development commissioner discuss nutrition, food security with Malawi president

"During a visit to Malawi on Tuesday, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the European Union (E.U.) development commissioner highlighted the need to address malnutrition and food insecurity in the African country, while pledging to work together and support the government in its efforts to this end," the U.N. News Centre reports.

7 Mar 2013

Laboratorios Grifols, Cadence announce new supply agreement for OFIRMEV

Cadence Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on acquiring, in-licensing, developing and commercializing proprietary products principally for use in the hospital setting, today announced a new supply agreement with Laboratorios Grifols, S.A. for the development, manufacture and supply of commercial quantities of OFIRMEV (acetaminophen) injection in flexible plastic bags.

6 Mar 2013

Empowering women will improve food security, U.N. expert says

"Governments must adopt food security strategies that empower women as this is an effective way to reduce hunger and malnutrition, a United Nations expert said" Monday, the U.N. News Centre reports.

6 Mar 2013

Reform in food aid distribution could lead to more lives saved, study suggests

"International development agencies may be able to save the lives of a greater number of undernourished children by changing how they allocate food aid in developing countries, suggests a study published [Monday] in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences," SciDev.Net reports.

6 Mar 2013

U.N. agencies appeal for additional assistance for food, health and education in Mali

"A top United Nations relief official who just returned from a trip to northern Mali said Tuesday that desperation, hunger and fear had pervaded the region in the year since Islamist militant extremists seized control, and that only $17 million of the organization's appeal for $373 million in emergency aid had been donated so far," the New York Times reports.

28 Feb 2013

Rising epidemic of obesity in the Asia Pacific region

Over eating, sedentary lifestyles, cultural attitudes, and lack of prevention programmes are to blame for the rising epidemic of obesity in the Asia Pacific region. Overweight and obesity has quadrupled in China and societies still label people of healthy weight as poor.

21 Feb 2013

IRIN examines why humanitarian aid request remains constant in 2013 Sahel Regional Strategy

Noting "the 2013 Sahel Regional Strategy calls for $1.66 billion to help meet humanitarian needs and build up resilience among vulnerable groups -- an identical figure to the 2012 crisis appeal -- even though aid agencies estimate the number of Sahelians at risk of going hungry this year has dropped 44 percent to 10.3 million," IRIN examines "why the ask has remained constant."

21 Feb 2013

New book discusses potential solutions and new ways of looking at hidden hunger

Hunger is a two-sided coin. It refers simultaneously to that which is visible and can be subjectively and objectively viewed, and that which is hidden. This less-visible hunger is known as 'hidden hunger' or chronic malnutrition. Every two minutes thirteen children worldwide die of the consequences of hidden hunger before they are five years old.

18 Feb 2013

Shorter version of abPG-SGA can potentially improve outcomes for cancer patients

Considering the many things a cancer patient has to think about, it's easy to understand why maintaining proper nutrition may not be top of mind. This can be true, too, at busy outpatient settings where it's often difficult to find the time and resources to test cancer patients for malnutrition.

18 Feb 2013

U.N. joint meeting addresses issues surrounding food security

"Scaling up the global response to food security and nutrition topped the agenda [Thursday] at a special joint meeting between the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the General Assembly, world experts and the U.N. food agencies aimed at identifying steps to build a future free of hunger," the U.N. News Centre reports, noting the meeting "included the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP)."

16 Feb 2013

Parenteral nutrition safety: an interview with Dr. Phil Ayers, A.S.P.E.N PN Safety Task Force Chair and Dr. Peggi Guenter, Director of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.)

Parenteral nutrition is intravenous nutrition for patients who are unable to eat or be tube fed. It is used with more than 300,000 patients per year - a quarter of whom are children and newborns.

11 Feb 2013

Antibiotics help severely malnourished children recover

Giving severely malnourished children antibiotics in addition to nutritional therapy significantly improves their chances of making a full recovery compared with nutritional therapy alone, say researchers.

7 Feb 2013

Children with autism spectrum disorders more likely to have feeding problems

Healthy eating not only promotes growth and development, but also provides important opportunities for children to socialize during meals. A new, comprehensive analysis of feeding behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) indicates that these children are five times more likely to have a feeding problem, including extreme tantrums during meals, severe food selectivity and ritualistic mealtime behaviors.

5 Feb 2013

Measles: an interview with Dr. Robert Perry, World Health Organization

Measles is a disease marked by fever, rash, and cold symptoms (red eyes, cough, runny nose) that results in a temporary suppression of the immune system and a drop in vitamin A levels.

4 Feb 2013

Malnutrition News and Research

Further Reading

U.N. official says North Korea needs external assistance to ensure food, health security

Global efforts to address malnutrition should factor in immunization

Study: Dietary deficiency of mineral selenium likely to be endemic among Malawi population

Many challenges exist to delivering proven interventions for preventing pediatric HIV infections

Cell phone microscope can detect intestinal worm infections in children

International community urged to disburse pledged funds to help Yemen

U.N. FAO head, E.U. development commissioner discuss nutrition, food security with Malawi president

Laboratorios Grifols, Cadence announce new supply agreement for OFIRMEV

Empowering women will improve food security, U.N. expert says

Reform in food aid distribution could lead to more lives saved, study suggests

U.N. agencies appeal for additional assistance for food, health and education in Mali

Rising epidemic of obesity in the Asia Pacific region

IRIN examines why humanitarian aid request remains constant in 2013 Sahel Regional Strategy

New book discusses potential solutions and new ways of looking at hidden hunger

Shorter version of abPG-SGA can potentially improve outcomes for cancer patients

U.N. joint meeting addresses issues surrounding food security

Parenteral nutrition safety: an interview with Dr. Phil Ayers, A.S.P.E.N PN Safety Task Force Chair and Dr. Peggi Guenter, Director of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.)

Antibiotics help severely malnourished children recover

Children with autism spectrum disorders more likely to have feeding problems

Measles: an interview with Dr. Robert Perry, World Health Organization

Bringing real-time analytics to downstream bioprocess monitoring

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

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