Synopsis: Global Nutrition Report 2014

Book excerpt: Good nutrition is the bedrock upon which to build healthy lives, strong and resilient livelihoods, and thriving economies. In its absence, their construction takes place on quicksand. Stunted children fail to grow and develop properly, with impairment to brains and immune systems being particular problems. Malnourished women of childbearing age do not have enough iron in their blood to feed their muscles. Many adults carry so much excess weight they put their heart and lungs under extreme stress and may suffer from diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. Malnutrition leads to 11 percent of gross national product being squandered as a result of lives lost, less learning in school, less earning in the workplace, and days lost to illness. And malnourished mothers are more likely to give birth to malnourished newborns, perpetuating the intergenerational transmission of poverty. Malnutrition corrodes the body, the economy, and the future. Ambitions for sustainable development are likely to be thwarted by its presence.