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.

Celebrity chef extends support to prevent malnutrition in older people

Pioneering research from the University of Reading is being used to enhance the taste of hospital food to help prevent or treat malnutrition in older people.

7 May 2010

Rice students' Sally Centrifuge could help diagnose anemia globally

A simple salad spinner will save lives this summer, if everything goes as planned by two Rice University undergraduates.

4 May 2010

Breast-feeding may help lower risk of death from Shigella infection in developing countries: Study

Teaching parents about the importance of continued breast-feeding may help to lower the risk of death from brain disease (encephalopathy) related to Shigella infection in developing countries, reports a study in the May issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.

4 May 2010

WHO, UNICEF issue guide, call for more research into medicines for children

Along with the release of a WHO-UNICEF guide on medicines for children, the U.N. agencies on Friday said the guide "exposed dangerous shortfalls" in medicines designed for children and called for more research into treating children, Reuters reports. "While effective medicines exist to fight disease and treat life-threatening conditions like malnutrition, formulations suitable for children are often difficult to source," Francisco Blanco, UNICEF's chief of medicines and nutrition, said, according to the news service.

3 May 2010

Kids' health can suffer when parents must choose between health care and basic necessities

"The health of children is harmed when families are forced to choose between medical care and basic household necessities such as food, rent and utilities, a new study found," HealthDay News/U.S. News & World Report writes. "The study included 6,447 low-income caregivers with children ranging in age from newborn to 3 years.

3 May 2010

FDA approves Abbott's CREON sNDA including dosing guidance for treating EPI due to CP, pancreatectomy

Abbott announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for CREON® (pancrelipase) Delayed-Release Capsules that now includes dosing guidance in the prescribing information specific to patients with limited production of enzymes in the pancreas (exocrine pancreatic insufficiency) due to chronic pancreatitis (CP) or removal of the pancreas (pancreatectomy). Prior to this FDA approval, dosing guidance for medications such as CREON was based on patients with cystic fibrosis.

3 May 2010

DHA supplements during lactation increases DHA status in preterm infants

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid, is essential for the growth and development of infants' brains. Very premature infants may be deficient in DHA because they miss out on the third trimester in utero when the fatty acid accumulates in tissues. In addition, their gastrointestinal system is immature, and health problems often increase the risk of malnutrition.

3 May 2010

UNICEF, WHO release new publication on medicines formulated for children

A new publication that lists medicines formulated for children is being made available online by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, to help doctors and organizations obtain some of the 240 essential medicines that can save the lives of children.

30 Apr 2010

Dietary changes may help alleviate celiac disease, says study

New research published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that striking a balance of intestinal microbiota could play a role in early stages of celiac disease-related immune responses

30 Apr 2010

Jefferson Medical College surgeon uses artificial liver assist device as bridge to transplantation

Cataldo Doria, M.D., Ph.D., Nicoletti Family Professor of Transplant Surgery at Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University, and director of the Division of Transplantation at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is the first transplant surgeon in the United States to use a new totally artificial liver assist device as a bridge to transplantation.

27 Apr 2010

Opinions: G8 summit; World Malaria Day; Family planning; Global Food Security Act

As G8 development leaders gather in Halifax, Nova Scotia, this week to discuss priorities for the upcoming summit, Josette Sheeran, executive director of the WFP, calls for world leaders to focus on the nutritional needs of mothers and children in developing countries in a Toronto Star opinion piece.

27 Apr 2010

World Bank-IMF report tracks impact of global economic downturn on MDGs

Though the global economic crisis has slowed the pace of efforts to reduce poverty in developing countries, the countries remain "on track" to meet the Millennium Development Goal target to halve extreme poverty by 2015, according to a report released Friday by the World Bank and IMF, Agence France-Presse reports (4/26).

27 Apr 2010

Promising research on cryptosporidiosis could lead to effective treatment: Brandeis University biochemist

Discovered in 1976, cryptosporidium lurks worldwide in water, contaminating swimming pools, water parks, and drinking water supplies. Although it has even been featured on the comedy show The Colbert Report, it is no laughing matter-this microscopic pathogen is a leading cause of diarrhea and malnutrition and the most common source of infection in immune-weakened people such as AIDS patients.

26 Apr 2010

CARE applauds U.S. leadership in addressing long-term solutions to global hunger

Today the humanitarian organization CARE applauds the United States' leadership in addressing long-term solutions to global hunger. CARE commends Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) and Ranking Member Richard Lugar (R-IN) for holding this important hearing.

23 Apr 2010

Study links maternal height to children's health outcomes

Malnutrition suffered during a woman's childhood "can adversely affect the health of her children, Harvard researchers said Tuesday," following the release of their study in developing countries, which "found that the shortest women were substantially more likely to have children who died at an early age, who were underweight or who failed to thrive, according to a report in the Journal of the American Medical [Association]", the Los Angeles Times' blog "Shots" reports.

22 Apr 2010

Reuters examines uneven economic growth, welfare programs in India

Reuters reports on the recent efforts by India's government to expand welfare programs throughout the country: "Since helping the Congress party win re-election last year, welfare has fast become the government's knee-jerk answer to policy dilemmas as it tries to ease food inflation, help growth trickle down to the poor, and win hearts and minds in" the country, the news service writes.

21 Apr 2010

Opinion: After health reform, U.S. should focus on responding to global health needs

"Now that the Obama administration has delivered on health care in the United States, we should think about families around the globe who suffer from malnutrition and lack access to basic maternal and child health-care services, including family planning," Thomas Lovejoy of Population Action International and Jim Harkness, president of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, write in a MinnPost.com opinion piece that examines the health needs of people living in developing countries and ways Congressional leaders can respond.

17 Apr 2010

Penn State professor proposes new strategy to improve adult malnutrition

A new consensus statement on adult malnutrition suggests classifying patients in three categories related to the cause of malnutrition, according to an international committee of nutrition researchers. This approach could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of malnutrition.

15 Apr 2010

News outlets report on food crisis in Sahel region of Africa

A food crisis is developing across the Sahel region - from Mauritania and Guinea to Nigeria and Sudan - where "[m]illions" of people are facing hunger and malnutrition, aid groups say, afrol News reports.

13 Apr 2010

EDNOS categorization for young people needs to be reconsidered

Diagnostic cutoffs for anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa may be too strict, a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital has found. Many patients who do not meet full criteria for these diseases are nevertheless quite ill, and the diagnosis they now receive, "Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified," may delay their ability to get treatment.

12 Apr 2010

Malnutrition News and Research

Further Reading

Celebrity chef extends support to prevent malnutrition in older people

Rice students' Sally Centrifuge could help diagnose anemia globally

Breast-feeding may help lower risk of death from Shigella infection in developing countries: Study

WHO, UNICEF issue guide, call for more research into medicines for children

Kids' health can suffer when parents must choose between health care and basic necessities

FDA approves Abbott's CREON sNDA including dosing guidance for treating EPI due to CP, pancreatectomy

DHA supplements during lactation increases DHA status in preterm infants

UNICEF, WHO release new publication on medicines formulated for children

Dietary changes may help alleviate celiac disease, says study

Jefferson Medical College surgeon uses artificial liver assist device as bridge to transplantation

Opinions: G8 summit; World Malaria Day; Family planning; Global Food Security Act

World Bank-IMF report tracks impact of global economic downturn on MDGs

Promising research on cryptosporidiosis could lead to effective treatment: Brandeis University biochemist

CARE applauds U.S. leadership in addressing long-term solutions to global hunger

Study links maternal height to children's health outcomes

Reuters examines uneven economic growth, welfare programs in India

Opinion: After health reform, U.S. should focus on responding to global health needs

Penn State professor proposes new strategy to improve adult malnutrition

News outlets report on food crisis in Sahel region of Africa

EDNOS categorization for young people needs to be reconsidered

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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