Short answers, pulled from the story.
In 2024, 150.2 million children under five were stunted, 42.8 million were wasted, and 35.5 million were overweight or obese. In 2021, an estimated 45 percent of all deaths in children were linked to undernutrition.
The double burden of malnutrition refers to the coexistence of overnutrition, meaning overweight and obesity, alongside undernutrition, meaning stunted growth and wasting, within the same communities or populations. The World Health Organization and The Lancet Commission identified this pattern, noting it is increasingly common in developing countries.
Kwashiorkor is primarily caused by inadequate protein intake and is characterized by edema, liver enlargement, a swollen belly, and depigmentation of skin and hair. Marasmus results from deficiency in both protein and energy, causing severe muscle wasting with little or no edema and abnormal albumin levels. Both conditions commonly coexist.
Iodine deficiency is the most common preventable cause of mental impairment worldwide. Even moderate deficiency, especially in pregnant women and infants, lowers intelligence by 10 to 15 IQ points. Sixteen percent of the world's people have at least mild goiter, a swollen thyroid gland caused by iodine deficiency.
Eighty percent of malnourished children live in countries that produce food surpluses, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. The economist Amartya Sen observed that famine is typically a problem of food distribution, purchasing power, and poverty rather than a simple shortage of supply.
After the Malawian government introduced subsidies for fertilizer and seed in the early 2000s, corn production leaped from 1.2 million tons in 2005 to 3.4 million tons in 2007, transforming Malawi into a food exporter. Food prices fell and farmworker wages rose as a result.