By RFIPosted on 15-10-2019Modified on 15-10-2019 at 04:26

One-third of children under the age of five are malnourished around the world, and do not grow up properly, according to a Unicef ​​report released on Tuesday. Malnutrition in the 21st century has many faces, the UN agency insists.

For the UN agency responsible for children, malnutrition has taken the last 20 years several forms: it ranges from undernutrition, which can alter the physical and cognitive development of children to overweight.

The first form, which has always been known, is synonymous with famine or hunger. Inadequate food continues to be a problem for tens of millions of children, although globally the situation has improved.

Obesity, a growing phenomenon

But for the UN agency, it is also necessary to focus on another form of hunger, which it calls hidden hunger: it is a diet that contains deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals. One in two children in the world suffers from such shortcomings; three quarters of the children in Central Africa.

In 20 years, malnutrition has also taken on the traits of a growing phenomenon: overweight, and obesity. The paradox is only apparent; cheap calories from poor quality processed foods high in sugars or fats are available in almost every country, says the report. Overweight is increasingly a disease of the poor, resulting in an explosion of diabetes and cardiovascular disease in adulthood.

Worldwide, two-thirds of children do not have adequate diets. Nearly half of those aged 6 months to 2 years, consume neither fruits nor vegetables.

Obesity is increasing more rapidly among the most disadvantaged groups.

Noël Marie Zagré, Unicef ​​nutrition advisor in Africa

15-10-2019 - By Valérie Cohen

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