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Nutrition and food safety

Nutrition is an input to and foundation for health and development and the interaction of infection and malnutrition is well-documented. While the global nutrition situation is improving, the nutritional status among the vulnerable groups of women and their children is deteriorating in several countries, particularly in Africa and some Asian low-income societies. Poor nutrition of pregnant women before conception and during pregnancy is a main cause of anemia and maternal mortality, as well as of low birth weight. The prevalence of childhood undernutrition, and its short and long-term consequences, has recently been assessed and it is clear that childhood undernutrition is not only a cause of morbidity and mortality, but impairs human capital and socio-economic development. It is increasingly recognized that  maternal and childhood undernutrition is a major global health problem which the international community has to address.

The Department of Human Nutrition (LIFE) has, among others, been involved in a series of intervention studies in low-income countries, examining the effect of micronutrient supplementation on pregnant women, infants and children.

Furthermore, a collaboration has recently been initiated with Médecins sans Frontières (MSF) concerning childhood undernutrition with focus on treatment of severe and moderate malnourished children in developing countries and currently new treatment protocols are being designed.

Additionally, the group has performed intervention studies in developing countries.

More information: Department of Human Nutrition, Life, University of Copenhagen