The science of nutrition 4th edition thompson manore vaughan chapter 16

Chapter 16 Lecture

Chapter 16:
Food Equity, Sustainability,
and Quality: The Challenge of
"Good" Food

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Global Food Insecurity

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Food insecurity: unreliable access to a sufficient supply of nourishing food and
inequities in agriculture and food-service employment

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Global and domestic disparities in infant mortality and life expectancy
United Nations estimates one in nine people in the world is chronically
undernourished, 98% live in developing nations

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Food Insecurity in U.S.

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In 2013,14% (about 75 million households) of U.S. households experienced food
insecurity

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During the year, household members were uncertain of of having, or unable to
acquire enough food to meet their needs

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Over 5% of U.S. households (6.8 million households) had very low food insecurity

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One or more household members had to reduce the quality, variety, or
desirability of their food choices, and the amount

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Food Insecurity Risk Factors

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Households with incomes below 185% of the U.S. poverty threshold, single parents,
African American households, and Hispanic households

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Physical, psychological, or social factors

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Chronic disease
Disability
Depression
Alcohol and drug addiction
Divorce (especially for women)


Malnutrition

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Malnutrition takes different forms
Undernutrition: results from not getting enough to eat
Overnutrition: results from excessive consumption of energy-dense foods along with
inadequate physical activity

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Food Shortages

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Acute food shortages may be caused by weather events and wars
Famine: a severe food shortage affecting a large percentage of the population in a
limited area at a particular time.

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Chronic Hunger

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The major cause of chronic hunger is unequal food distribution
Overpopulation occurs when resources are insufficient to support the number of
people living in an area.

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Improving food supply:

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Slowing population growth can improve food supply
Educating girls and women can reduce birthrates
Increase food production and import foods


Chronic Hunger – Agricultural Practices

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Deforestation
Overgrazing
Crop rotation
Use of agricultural land for cash crops (cotton, coffee, tobacco) replaces
subsistence crops (sorghum and corn)

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Used for industry and livestock feed
Less food available for local consumption

Chronic Hunger – Lack of Infrastructure

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Roads and transportation
Electricity and refrigeration
Water management: irrigation, safe drinking water, sewage systems
Sanitation services
Communication systems
Healthcare delivery system
Public education

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Chronic Hunger – Impact of Disease

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Disease and lack of healthcare to fight disease reduce the work capacity
Reduced ability to ward off poverty and malnutrition

Example: AIDS epidemic

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Climate Change

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Global warming contributes significantly to climate change: any significant change
in the measures of climate over several decades

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Impact on global food security:

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Reduced crop yields
Crop destruction
Reduced seafood availability


Problems With Limited Nourishing Food

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Nutritional imbalance with inadequate energy or limited access to nourishing foods
Wasting: very low body weight for height, or extreme thinness

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A hallmark of severe acute malnutrition (SAM)

Stunted growth: shorter than expected for an individual's chronological age; chronically
undernourished

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1 in 7 people in the world is undernourished
Most prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia
In Central and South America, rates as high as 25% of population

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Problems With Limited Nourishing Food (cont.)

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Maternal mortality: death of a woman during pregnancy, childbirth, or in the
immediate postpartum period

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Infant mortality: death of an infant between birth and 1 year

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Decreased Resistance to Infection

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Reduced energy reserves and weakened immune response
Infection exacerbates malnutrition: reduces appetite; causes vomiting, diarrhea, and
weight loss

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Vicious cycle of malnutrition and infection: childhood diseases, HIV/AIDS

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Micronutrient Deficiency Diseases

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Impoverished countries experience severe deficiencies in key micronutrients:

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Iron
Iodine
Vitamin A
Vitamin B12 and folate


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Iron Deficiency

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The most common micronutrient deficiency in the world; considered an epidemic
Most prevalent in pregnant women and young children
Iron deficiency anemia contributes to 20% of maternal deaths

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Iodine Deficiency

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Prenatal iodine is critical for fetal brain development
Mild deficits in school-age children impair cognitive performance, retard physical
development

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Occurrences have been greatly reduced in areas where iodine added to salt or oil,
or to irrigation water

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Vitamin A Deficiency

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Leading cause of blindness in children

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Due to greater vulnerability to severe infection, such children are at high risk
for death

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Estimated 250 million children are vitamin A deficient
International initiatives to supplement vitamin A in deficient children have had a
significant impact

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Socioeconomic Problems

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Undernourishment of iodine, vitamin B12, folate, essential fatty acids and other
nutrients can cause significant cognitive impairments (learning and memory
problems)

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Vision loss (vitamin A deficiency) can limit work capacity
Micronutrient deficiency prompts weakness reducing labor, a global drain on work
capacity and productivity

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Limited Nourishing Food and Obesity

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Nutrition paradox: coexistence of stunting and overweight/obesity in the same
region, household, or person

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Factors:

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Trend toward decreased physical activity
Global shift in diet toward increased intake of energy-dense foods low in
micronutrients and fiber

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Poverty-Obesity Paradox

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Obesity is more prevalent in low-income populations
In the United States, a reduction in family income during early childhood increases
the child's risk for becoming overweight/obese

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Hunger-obesity paradox: low-income people are obese while also deficient in one or
more nutrients, or even hungry

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Food Deserts

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Low-income and obesity may reflect environment
Food deserts are geographical areas that lack access to fresh, healthy, and
affordable food—rural and inner-city

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Abundance of cheap, energy-dense foods with longer shelf life, and higher satiety
value

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