Disease and premature death from undernutrition and malnutrition is a “silent and invisible global emergency with a massive impact on children” that could be prevented.

Each year, at least 10 millionpeople, half of them children,die prematurely from 1) Undernutrition2) Malnutrition3) Increased susceptibility

to disease/parasites4) Infectious diseases from contaminated water

Micronutrient Deficiencies• WHO – approx. 1 out of 3 people suffer from a

deficiency of one or more vitamins and minerals• Most widespread – vitamin A, iron, and iodine• 100-140 million children in developing countries

are deficient in Vitamin A – can cause blindness, premature death due to lower resistance

• Good news: genetically engineered rice – rich in beta-carotene

• Bad news: not enough beta-carotene; cannot be converted to Vitamin A in malnourished person

Iron – a mineral deficiency• Found in whole grains, green leafy

vegetables, and meat.

• Iron deficiency:- causes anemia;- makes infection more likely;- ↑ a woman’s chance of dying in childbirth;- ↑ an infant’s chance of dying of infection during its first year of life;- effects on developing brain - learning deficiencies.

• Approx. one out of three women and children in developing countries suffer from iron deficiency.

Iodine Deficiency• Iodine is found in seafood and crops grown in

iodine-rich soil• Essential for functioning of the thyroid gland –

produces a hormone that controls the body’s rate of metabolism

• Lack of iodine can cause:- stunted growth- mental retardation- goiter

• Some good news: Adding iodine to salt has resulted in a drop in deficiency from 29% to 12% between 1994 and 1999.

How serious is overnutrition?• 1 out of 7 people in developed countries (1/5 in the U.S.) • Overnutrition = food energy intake exceeds energy use

and causes obesity• Health problems:

- ↓ life expectancy- ↑ susceptibility to disease and illness- ↓ productivity and life qualitySound familiar?

• Second leading cause of preventable deaths after smoking

• 300,000 Americans/year• Healthiest diet for humans is largely vegetarian –

only 10-15% from fat (vs. 40% from a typical meat-based diet)

Do we produce enough food to feed the world’s people?

Good news: we produce more than enough food to feed every person today and into the future.

Bad news: it is not distributed evenly.Due to differences in climate, soil, political and economic power, and average per capita income throughoutthe world.

“Poverty, not lack of food production, is the real food problem for about 1/8 people in the world”

Is genetic engineering the answer?

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