Definitions
• Nutrition– Study of food and how the body uses it to be
healthy, socially active and economically productive
• Nutrients– Chemical substances present in food that
keep the body healthy, supply materials for growth and repair tissues and provoide energy for work and physical activities
Nutrients• Macronutrients
– Proteins, for growth and repair of body tissues– carbohydrates, main sources of energy (starch, sugar,
fiber)– Fats, essential nutrients and concentrated source of
energy; absorb, transport and store A,D,E,K• Micronutrients
– Vitamins: ADEK, B complex, vitamin C– Minerals: calcium, iron, iodine, zinc, fluoride– water
Three food groups
• Energy food (Go)– Rice and starchy food– Fat-rich food
• Body-building food (Grow)– Meat, fish, dairy, dried beans
• Regulating food (Glow)– Green and yellow leafy vegetables– Vitamin C rich food– Other fruits and vegetables
Malnutrition
• Malnutrition is an abnormal condition of the body due to lack or too much intake of one or more nutrients
• Overnutrition results from an excessive food intake and lack of physical activity
• Undernutrition results from lack of one or more nutrients in the body
Promoting good nutritional practices
❑ breastfeeding ❑ complementary feeding for infants after the age of six months ❑ improved hygiene practices including
handwashing
Increasing intake of vitamins and mineralsProvision of micronutrients for young children
and their mothers
❑ periodic Vitamin A supplements ❑ therapeutic zinc supplements for diarrhea
management ❑ multiple micronutrient powders ❑ de-worming drugs for children (to reduce
losses of nutrients) ❑ iron-folic acid supplements for pregnant
women to prevent and treat anaemia ❑ iodized oil capsules where iodized salt is
unavailable
Provision of micronutrients through foodfortification for all:
❑ salt iodization ❑ iron fortification of staple foods
Therapeutic feeding for malnourished children with special foods
❑ prevention or treatment for moderate undernutrition ❑ treatment of severe undernutrition (“severe acute malnutrition”) with ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTF).
• Reference: Scaling Up Nutrition: What Will it Cost? Horton, et al 2009
VADD Vitamin A Deficiency Disorder
IDD Iodine Deficiency Disorders
Micronutrient Malnutrition in the Philippines
IDA Iron Deficiency Anemia
Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency:Estimated Damage
• Approx. 40% to 60% of the nation’s 6-24 mo. old children at risk of disrupted brain development (iron deficiency)
• An est. 300,000 Filipino babies born each year w/ intellectual impairment caused by iodine def. in pregnancy.
• In countries where goiter rate is 10% or more (Phils. almost 15%), ave. national IQ lowered by as much as 10-15% points
•
Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency:Estimated Damage
• The deaths of >4,000 children each yr. from increased susceptibility to infection (VAD)
• Approx. 20% of children with lowered immunity leading to frequent ill health and poor growth (VAD)
• The deaths of est. 500 young Filipina women every year in pregnancy and childbirth (severe IDA)
• Approx. 10,000 Filipino infants a year at risk of death in the period immediately before or after birth (severe anemia in mothers)
Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency:Estimated Damage
• Approx. 4,000 severe birth defects annually, including infantile paralysis (folate deficiency)
• Suspected increase in deaths from heart disease and stroke (folate deficiency)
Strategies to Sustain Micronutrient Malnutrition
Elimination
2Improving Diet/Dietary Diversification The adoption of proper food & nutrition practices thru nutrition education & food production
Food FortificationFood Fortification The addition of essential micronutrients to widely consumed food product at levels above its natural state
3
1Micronutrient Supplementation The provision of pharmaceutically prepared vitamins & minerals for treatment or prevention of specific micronutrient deficiency
If a person is sick…
• Poor appetite• Special foods required• Important for the person to meet increased
nutrient requirement• May be dehydrated• May be nauseated or may vomit