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Growth Faltering: Underweight and Stunting

Andrew M Prentice1

  • 1MRC Unit The Gambia at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Banjul, Gambia, aprentice@mrc.gm.

Nestle Nutrition Institute Workshop Series
|November 9, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Growth faltering in young children, often overlooked after the first 1,000 days, can be reversed. This study explores recovery possibilities and optimal nutrition for toddlers and preschoolers.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Human Nutrition
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Most research on growth faltering focuses on the first 1,000 days of life.
  • There's a common belief that stunting and wasting in early childhood are irreversible.
  • This paper examines critical periods of growth faltering and recovery potential.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe the timing of stunting and wasting development.
  • To investigate the possibility of recovery from growth faltering in toddlers and preschoolers.
  • To discuss nutritional strategies for young children.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on growth faltering.
  • Analysis of hormonal mechanisms regulating early growth.
  • Examination of recovery data in toddlers and preschoolers.

Main Results:

  • Growth faltering can occur during intergenerational, in utero, and early postnatal periods.
  • Evidence suggests that recovery from stunting and wasting is possible in toddlers and preschoolers.
  • Hormonal factors play a significant role in early growth regulation.

Conclusions:

  • Catch-up growth is achievable in later early childhood, challenging previous assumptions.
  • Targeted nutritional interventions may be beneficial for toddlers and preschoolers.
  • Further research into the hormonal regulation of growth is warranted.

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