Malnutrition is a condition that results from eating a diet; in which one or more nutrients are either not enough or are too much such that the diet causes health problems. Where nearly half of all deaths worldwide in children under the age of 5 is from malnutrition.
But from nutrition bars to energy supplements; the current standards for addressing the nutrition gap focus on providing the recommending amount of calories as well as individual nutrients. And those who manage to survive suffer long-term consequences; such as stunted growth and delays in neuro development.
Malnutrition in bangladesh
The healthy microbiomes were then compared to the microbiomes of malnourished children. Using machine learning algorithms; the scientists were able to identify a small group of organisms; that were present in the healthy children’s guts but missing or in different proportions in the guts of malnourishing children.
After a thorough search, researchers found that a combination of chickpeas, bananas, soy flour, peanuts; and a few other foods would promote the growth of these healthy gut microbes. In a clinical trial of 63 malnourished children ages 12-18 months; about a quarter were given a diet based on these foods, and, after a month of treatment; they fared better than the other groups of children in the study.
Comprehensive molecular description
A key commitment on our part was to get a more comprehensive molecular description of the biology of these healthy children. With new technologies, study measuring literally over a 1,000 different proteins that regulating the growth of bones; proteins that regulate metabolism, proteins that are associating with brain development, associated with immune function; and that gave us a much more comprehensive signature of healthy.
The degree to which repair of the gut community; was associating with effects on so many different aspects and mediators of growth. So, the idea that this [microbial] community’s effects reach far beyond the wall of the gut to influence so many different systems.