Recent Episodes
Long Term Consequences for a Starved Child
Seeing disturbing images about the famine in Gaza had me thinking about the long-term consequences of the starving children there, should they survive. At least half a million Gazans face starvation with little humanitarian aid being allowed in. After just a few days without food, a child’s body begins to tap into stores of glucose in the liver, and then fat stores to keep the brain and other organs going.
Once those are gone, the body starts to break down muscles, draining the child’s physical strength. Next are the vital organs which start to break down, and the immune system deteriorates, leaving the child susceptible to infections. The vital organs shrink, wounds don’t heal, and the intestinal barrier breaks down which further increases infection risk. The child is barely moving at this point and without food, organs fail, breathing slows, and blood pressure drops. Brain damage is next and then death.
If a child survives starvation, they usually face stunted growth, soft bones, liver and kidney problems, and cognitive issues. The stunting is most prominent when starvation happens from gestation to age four.
Stunted children are more apathetic, display less exploratory behavior and have altered physiological arousal. Many of the neural defects do not improve with age.
The sooner food can get to the children in Gaza, the greater their chances of survival. Everyone deserves to have the nutrition they need to grow up and the opportunity to lead productive and fulfilling lives.
More Information
The world is at a critical juncture
The world is in a very different place to where it was six years ago when it committed to the goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition by 2030.
People in Gaza starving, sick and dying as aid blockade continues
The risk of famine in Gaza is increasing with the deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid, including food, in the ongoing blockade. The entire 2.1 million population of Gaza is facing prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death. This is one of the world’s worst hunger crises, unfolding in real time.
Early and Long-term Consequences of Nutritional Stunting: From Childhood to Adulthood
Linear growth failure (stunting) in childhood is the most prevalent form of undernutrition globally. The debate continues as to whether children who become stunted before age 24 months can catch up in growth and cognitive functions later in their lives. The potentially irreparable physical and neurocognitive damage that accompanies stunted growth is a major obstacle to human development.
