Child nutrition
Adequate nutrition and physical activity during childhood supports optimal growth and development during this period of life. Read these articles on child nutrition.
Adequate nutrition and physical activity during childhood supports optimal growth and development during this period of life. Read these articles on child nutrition.
Double burden of malnutrition is defined as the persistence of undernutrition and the rapid rise in overweight and obesity. The usual pattern of malnutrition was undernutrition being more prevalent in developing countries while obesity was a common occurrence in developed countries. However, with rapid urbanization, unlimited food access, and lifestyle changes, a trend towards increasing incidence of overweight and obesity has been observed in developing countries.1
Early nutrition in utero and in childhood have direct and indirect effects on an infant’s brain growth, development and immunity, which in turn impact the child’s long-term cognitive performance and physical health. These effects are influenced by specific nutrients and the timing at which they are delivered during early life.
The South East Asian Nutrition Surveys (SEANUTS) is a large nutritional study conducted in several countries in Southeast Asia (1). For Indonesia SEANUTS was conducted in 48 districts/cities in 2011, using a cross-sectional design. The total study population consisted of 7211 children aged 0.5-12 years, who lived in both rural and urban areas (2). SEANUTS aimed to provide insight into the health status of children by measuring dietary intakes, food habits, nutritional status, growth, body co
Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) refers to the daily intake level of a nutrient that is sufficient to meet the requirements of approximately 97 to 99% apparently healthy individuals in an age- and sex-specific population. In addition to anthropometric studies and biochemical analysis, determining a population’s food intake in relation to the RDA is an adjunct in interpreting nutritional status and determining a possible cause of malnutrition.
Human breastmilk, with its unique combination of nutrients and other functionally active components, is the optimal nutrition for infants. When cow milk-based formulas are used to supplement infant feeding, it is important to note that the normal digestion and absorption of nutrients in these formulas involve interaction of the gastrointestinal tract with the proteins, carbohydrates (e.g., lactose), fats, prebiotics and probiotics found in each infant formula.
Human breast milk is known to be associated with a number of health benefits, with recent evidence suggesting that many of these benefits are likely to be associated with human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs).
Malnutrition together with poverty and sickness, affect the physical growth, behavior and learning abilities of children and adolescents. More than 200 million children
Functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) are disorders of GI function (e.g., GI motility) wherein the symptoms cannot be attributed to another medical condition after appropriate medical evaluation (1). Among infants, the most commonly encountered functional GI disorders are infant regurgitation, infant colic and constipation.
Protein plays a role in building and maintaining body tissues, such as muscle and bone. Proteins are made of smaller building blocks called amino acids. There are 20 different types of amino acids, 9 of which are essential. Milk protein is considered high quality protein because it contains all 9 essential amino acids (EAAs) in relatively high quantities.
Vitamin D seems to play a role in several body functions, beyond bone health, in early childhood. Since most circulating vitamin D is synthesized endogenously through sunlight exposure, it was believed that latitude would mainly influence its levels. Nowadays, there is growing evidence that obesity coexists with suboptimal vitamin D status. Although there is no clear explanation regarding this association, low vitamin D intake, limited exposure to sunlight and sequestration of vitamin D in the a