Stunting, starvation and refeeding
- Aim: To scrutinize to what extent modern ideas about nutrition effects on growth are supported by historic observations in European populations. Method: We reviewed 19th and early 20th century paediatric journals in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, the third largest European library with an almost complete collection of the German medical literature. During a three-day visit, we inspected 15 bookshelf meters of literature not available in electronic format. Results: Late 19th and early 20th century breastfed European infants and children, independent of social strata, grew far below World Health Organisation (WHO) standards and 15-30% of adequately-fed children would be classified as stunted by the WHO standards. Historic sources indicate that growth in height is largely independent of the extent and nature of the diet. Height catch-up after starvation was greater than catch-up reported in modern nutrition intervention studies, and allowed for unimpaired adult height. Conclusion: Historical studies are indispensable to understand whyAim: To scrutinize to what extent modern ideas about nutrition effects on growth are supported by historic observations in European populations. Method: We reviewed 19th and early 20th century paediatric journals in the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, the third largest European library with an almost complete collection of the German medical literature. During a three-day visit, we inspected 15 bookshelf meters of literature not available in electronic format. Results: Late 19th and early 20th century breastfed European infants and children, independent of social strata, grew far below World Health Organisation (WHO) standards and 15-30% of adequately-fed children would be classified as stunted by the WHO standards. Historic sources indicate that growth in height is largely independent of the extent and nature of the diet. Height catch-up after starvation was greater than catch-up reported in modern nutrition intervention studies, and allowed for unimpaired adult height. Conclusion: Historical studies are indispensable to understand why stunting does not equate with undernutrition and why modern diet interventions frequently fail to prevent stunting. Appropriateness and effect size of modern nutrition interventions on growth need revision.…
Author details: | Michael HermanussenORCiDGND, Barry BoginORCiDGND, Christiane SchefflerORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.14311 |
ISSN: | 0803-5253 |
ISSN: | 1651-2227 |
Pubmed ID: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29526048 |
Title of parent work (English): | Acta paediatrica : nurturing the child |
Subtitle (English): | a review of forgotten 19th and early 20th century literature |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Place of publishing: | Hoboken |
Publication type: | Review |
Language: | English |
Date of first publication: | 2018/03/11 |
Publication year: | 2018 |
Release date: | 2021/11/17 |
Tag: | Child growth; Historic literature; Refeeding; Stunting; Undernutrition |
Volume: | 107 |
Issue: | 7 |
Number of pages: | 11 |
First page: | 1166 |
Last Page: | 1176 |
Organizational units: | Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Biochemie und Biologie |
DDC classification: | 5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 57 Biowissenschaften; Biologie / 570 Biowissenschaften; Biologie |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Publishing method: | Open Access / Green Open-Access |