International nutrition and health

Malnutrition is the most important underlying determinant of global disease and death. Maternal undernutrition and too early introduction of complementary foods with low energy-nutrient density, lead to low birth weight, impaired growth and intellectual development, and high mortality due to infectious diseases. More than 5 of the 10 million annual child deaths are due to underlying undernutrition. With rural-urban migration, and access to refined sugar and fat, overnutrition and chronic diseases are becoming an increasing problem, also among the poor.