13 million children suffer from acute malnutrition in India

Vijayawada: Living in a country like India which is home to one fifth of the world's population, we cannot help but worry about the state of health and nutrition in the country particularly among the children.

The recent National Nutrition survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was an eye opener. It showed that despite economic growth during the last few years in India, 14 percent of India's population is undernourished.

More than 30 per cent children under five years are stunted and more than 50 per cent children, young girls and women are anaemic (nutritional deficiency of iron and other essential minerals, and vitamins in the body). In addition to under nutrition, changes in diet and lifestyle have led to obesity which is a risk factor for non-communicable diseases like cancer, heart diseases and type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that 19 per cent men and 21 percent women are obese and 73 million adults are affected by diabetes in the country.

An unfortunate truth is that 13 million children under the age of 5 years suffer from severe acute malnutrition and 1-2 million die each year. Such children have poor intestinal health, under - developed immune system and suffer from long term health effects.

Pregnant women are among the most neglected group but have the greatest nutrient requirement. Very often they suffer from digestive disorders and are unable to maximize the benefit from food which results in deficiency of iron, zinc, folic acid and iodine. Such women often have premature and low birth weight babies.

It is well established that some scientifically tested probiotics can improve overall health during pregnancy and could be a useful addition to diet regime.

However, nutrition loses its meaning if the food that we eat is not being taken up by the body. Therefore, getting the best from the food we eat is only possible if the intestine is healthy, remarked Dr Neerja Hajela, head of Science and Regulatory Affairs, Yakult Danone India Pvt. Ltd.

The Covid– 19 pandemic has shaken us and what stares right into our face is the link between food and immunity to help us stay protected. This is when the role of the intestine becomes very important not just to digest food but also to absorb all the immune boosting nutrients from them.

This important organ which is the site for digestion of food and absorption of nutrients is often the most neglected and therefore it is not surprising that more than half the Indian population suffers from poor intestinal health. This makes us wonder whether there could be a link between nutrition and intestinal health.