Combating malnutrition with micronutrients and sustainable sourced macronutrients7 Strikes against Malnutrition

Health has had its global focus in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s stay on it: let’s keep tackling malnutrition to create healthy people. Healthy people can lead productive lives and can contribute to the sustainable economy. Healthy food intake is a vital part to create health from within.

Strike 1: Decreasing Deficiencies

Recent nutrition science interventions targeted e.g., thiamine and micronutrient deficiencies in parts of Asia. Not enough thiamine in the diet brings about a higher risk for cognitive delay and limitation in people’s physical movement. If thiamine deficiency is not prevented, patients my suddenly die from their life-long deficiency.

Strike 2: Using Statistics to Predict What To Tackle

The Nutrition Modeling Consortium- a group of scientists at the New York Academy of Science- uses statistics to determine how get the fastest and most effective help to those who need it. For example, the group calculated how to best help individuals with vitamin A deficiency in Cameroon.

The same type of math can be used to help countries where people are at risk of overconsumption of micronutrients (for example, the U.S.).

Strike 3: Attending to Gender Inequalities

No matter what your biological sex is, access to nutritious food is crucial. Expecting and nursing mothers face additional nutritional need. At the same time, proper nourishment is not guaranteed to them. That is particularly true in cultures that favor male offspring. The New York Academy’s Nutrition Science Program is seeing and tackling this challenge.

Strike 4: Targeting Obesity and Diabetes in Developed Countries

About one in 10 adults older than 20 years in the U.S. has diabetes. For U.S. adults older than 65 years of age, 1 in 4 has diabetes. Imagine how many global programs could solve food related problems if we could use the estimated $245 billion that we spend in the U.S. on people with diagnosed diabetes?!

Strike 5: Antibiotics in Food Animals

Developing as well as less developed countries need to teach farmers bio-secure practices to prevent disease and the need to antibiotic treatment of farm animals. Adhering to animal welfare standards including a safe drinking water supply, good nutrition, clean airflow, and avoidance of overcrowding.

As recommended for humans’ use of antibiotics, limiting the use of antibiotics for sick animals can also help reduce the development and spread of antibiotic resistance.

Strike 6: Nutrition for the Aging

Aging individuals often face less income yet more health challenges. Creating access to healthy foods helps the aging population prevent some diseases, such as osteoporosis, high blood pressure, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers. In particular, older people may need more micronutrients and additional protein.

Strike 7: The World has Come Together to Tackle COVID-19. Together, we Can also Tackle Nutrition

Major pharmaceutical companies collaborated (for the first time) in the development of a vaccination for COVID-19. Let’s keep up our joint efforts to continue the advances in disease prevention. Including type 1 and 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases! Together we are in this, and together we will make it!