Personalized Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children

Abstract Malnutrition remains a universal problem, with at least one in three people experiencing it. It is linked, either directly or indirectly, to the major causes of death and disability. Although the amounts of certain nutrients required by the body vary somewhat depending on the stage of life, human beings generally require the same nutrients throughout their life cycle. In response to the rapid anabolic activity, infancy, childhood, adolescence, pregnancy and lactation are periods of life for special consideration. In Africa, more than one-third of children under the age of 5 are stunted, while close to half of the women are underweight. In particular the urban poor settings in sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing the problem of a double burden of malnutrition, with undernutrition coexisting within the same community or households with overnutrition. There is, however, no single personalized approach toward solving the high malnutrition rates; rather separate uncoordinated efforts of various nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions. Emphasis now should be given and efforts directed to the implementation of highly effective nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions to reduce the costs of malnutrition.