Nutraceutical Interventions in Stunting: Advances, Challenges, and Prospects

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Nutritional Science
• Microbiome Research

Background:

• Childhood stunting is a critical global health issue linked to poor nutrition, infections, and gut dysfunction.
• Conventional micronutrient supplementation has limitations; nutraceuticals offer complementary approaches for impaired linear growth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current evidence on nutraceutical interventions for childhood stunting.
• To explore mechanisms of action and factors influencing nutraceutical efficacy.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of clinical and preclinical studies on nutraceuticals for stunting.
• Analysis of various nutraceutical strategies including macronutrients, bioactive components, and microbiome-targeted therapies (probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, microbiota-directed foods).

Main Results:

• Nutraceuticals show modest and heterogeneous effects on growth, with more consistent impact on weight gain than height-for-age (HAZ).
• Efficacy is influenced by nutritional status, environmental enteric dysfunction (EED), infections, diet, and WASH conditions.
• Mechanisms involve modulating gut barrier, inflammation, microbial metabolism, and the GH-IGF-1 axis.

Conclusions:

• Microbiota-directed foods show promise for correcting gut dysfunction and supporting linear growth.
• Precision nutrition strategies tailored to biological responsiveness are the future direction.
• Integration of nutraceuticals into broader stunting reduction frameworks is essential for effective translation.