Hidden Hunger Strategies To Improve Nutrition Quality

Hidden hunger has long been an overlooked problem. Vitamin and mineral deficiencies have to be remedied and the availability of calories needs to be increased. As a matter of fact, the number of people who do not have access to a balanced diet has multiplied in rich and poor countries, with lasting consequences for health and well-being. Hidden hunger not only affects childhood growth and cognitive development, but also reduces productivity and well-being later in life, thus keeping the affected population trapped in a circle of poverty and malnutrition. This book illustrates the global fight against hunger by national governments and international organizations. Presented at the Third Hidden Hunger Conference held at the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany, it presents a range of strategies being implemented in various regions of the world to improve nutrition quality and combat this international crisis.

Malnutrition caused by deficiencies of vitamins and minerals - also called hidden hunger - impairs both the intellectual and physical development of a child. Due to the absence of clinical symptoms and assessments, no intervention can be staged. The tragedy is that this, in turn, decreases the child’s chance to escape from poverty. This book looks at malnutrition in high-income countries, the nutrition transition and nutritional deficiencies in low-income countries, consequences of hidden hunger, and interventions to improve nutrition security. Written by leading experts in the field, it clearly stresses that national governments and international organizations must make malnutrition one of their top priorities in order to provide children with optimal conditions for a healthy future.

Hidden hunger is not about providing enough calories, it is about a lack of micronutrients, which has life-long consequences for the children who are mostly affected. This begins with physical and cognitive developmental disorders and continues with an increased risk of non-communicable diseases and the occurrence of obesity. The book compiles the contributions of the Fourth Congress on Hidden Hunger 2019 as original articles. The focus of the congress was the problem of malnutrition and overweight, which can coexist and is termed a “double burden”. Part of the book deals with the causes of malnutrition and the challenge of achieving an agricultural system that is more focused on food quality. Another part discusses the causes and intervention approaches to tackling childhood obesity, especially in connection with malnutrition. All in all, this publication is a summary of important work by highly renowned authors on the topic of the congress: “Hidden Hunger and the Transformation of Food Systems: How to Combat the Double Burden of Malnutrition?” Like its two predecessors, the book fills an important gap by summarizing the essential aspects for science, applied research, and politics at a high level.

This book presents a detailed overview and critical evaluation of recent advances and remaining challenges in improving nutritional quality and/or avoiding the accumulation of undesirable substances in plants using a variety of strategies based on modern biological tools and techniques. Each review chapter provides an authoritative and insightful account of the various aspects of nutritional enhancement of plants. In the course of the last two decades, several food crops rich in macro- and micronutrients have been developed to improve health and protect a large section of the populace in developing countries from chronic diseases. Providing extensive information on these developments, this book offers a valuable resource for all researchers, students and industrialists working in agriculture, the plant sciences, agronomy, horticulture, biotechnology, food and nutrition, and the soil and environmental sciences.

This publication demonstrates the benefits of neglected and underutilized species, including amaranth, sorghum and cowpea, and their potential contribution to achieving Zero Hunger in South and Southeast Asia.

With one more year before the 2015 deadline for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, the 2014 Global Hunger Index report offers a multifaceted overview of global hunger that brings new insights to the global debate on where to focus efforts in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. The state of hunger in developing countries as a group has improved since 1990, falling by 39 percent, according to the 2014 GHI. Despite progress made, the level of hunger in the world is still “serious,” with 805 million people continuing to go hungry, according to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The global average obscures dramatic differences across regions and countries. Regionally, the highest GHI scores—and therefore the highest hunger levels—are in Africa south of the Sahara and South Asia, which have also experienced the greatest absolute improvements since 2005. South Asia saw the steepest absolute decline in GHI scores since 1990. Progress in addressing child underweight was the main factor behind the improved GHI score for the region since 1990.

Table of Contents Introduction Hidden Hunger Explained The Importance of Micronutrients Iodine deficiency Vitamin A Deficiency Choosing the Best Diet Fortified Foods Preventing Micronutrient Deficiency Conclusion Author Bio Publisher Introduction You consider yourself to be a very health conscious person, eating the right foodstuffs, at the right time. However, you have been noticing of late that you get tired easily. You are pale, and feel that subject. You do not feel hungry, very often. You may also suffer from giddiness. By evening, you're so tired that you have absolutely no patience and inclination to be nice to the rest of the family and you snap at them at the slightest procreation! Naturally the family is at a loss to understand your unusual behavior. On the other hand, let's take the example of your once happy go lucky teenager. One evening, while playing basketball, she felt dizzy and fell down. Also, her grades which were quite good, in the past have started falling down because according to her she cannot concentrate. Her attention span has shortened considerably. She is very easily distracted, much more than what is normally in a normal teenager! Both of these examples may be unrelated, but the underlying reason for both of them is the same. You as well as your teenager are suffering from what is normally called "hidden hunger." This is not an eating disorder, which is self-inflicted, like bulimia or anorexia. This is micronutrient deficiency. This is one of the most important and worrisome of all the public health problems all over the world today. Did you know that 47% of the people, even in well-developed nations are suffering from this micronutrient deficiency? You may tell yourself, how can that be, you have been eating well and you have been eating often. But what have you been eating? Processed foods? Foods which have been treated in such a manner that all the micronutrients have been removed beforehand, and other supporting additives being placed in those foods instead? Many of the foods which we eat today are lacking in the essential minerals and vitamins, which are necessary to keep the body functioning properly. These micronutrients include iodine, zinc, iron, and vitamin A.

The global population is projected to reach almost 10 billion by 2050, and food and feed production will need to increase by 70%. Wheat, maize and sorghum are three key cereals which provide nutrition for the majority of the world's population. Their production is affected by various abiotic stresses which cause significant yield losses. The effects of climate change also increase the frequency and severity of such abiotic stresses. Molecular breeding technologies offer real hope for improving crop yields. Although significant progress has been made over the last few years, there is still a need to bridge the large gap between yields in the most favorable and most stressful conditions.