Abstract
Latest estimates indicate that nutritional deficiencies account for 3 million child deaths each year in less-developed countries. Targeted nutritional interventions could therefore save millions of lives. However, such interventions require careful optimization to maximize benefit and avoid harm. Progress toward designing effective life-saving interventions is currently hampered by some serious gaps in our understanding of nutrient metabolism in humans. In this Personal Perspective, we highlight some of these gaps and make some proposals as to how improved research methods and technologies can be brought to bear on the problems of undernourished children in the developing world.
Authors
Andrew M. Prentice, M. Eric Gershwin, Ulrich E. Schaible, Gerald T. Keusch, Cesar G. Victora, Jeffrey I. Gordon
Figure 1
Inequity in science budgets in relation to the global burden of childhood undernutrition.
Copyright © 2025 American Society for Clinical Investigation
ISSN: 0021-9738 (print), 1558-8238 (online)