Nutritional science was born in the early years of the 20th century with the identification and synthesis of many of the known essential vitamins and minerals and their use to prevent and treat nutritional deficiency-related diseases including scurvy, beriberi, pellagra, rickets, xerophthalmia, and nutritional anemias. Nowadays, we face the double burden of malnutrition, which is characterized by the coexistence of undernutrition along with overweight and obesity, or diet-related noncommunicable diseases, already starting from childhood. Mal- and overnutrition are global challenges that all countries need to address. Nutritional alterations affect every aspect of the functioning of the endocrine system and metabolism, leading to serious disorders. Over the last few decades, the use of nutrition has shifted from ensuring that the diet contains sufficient macro-and micronutrients to consuming nutrition with the purpose of improving health.
Over the last 30 years, remarkable global progress has been made in decreasing undernutrition for children of all ages. While global data for this age group is scarce, recent studies shed light on the current situation. The absolute number of underweight children 5–19 years of age peaked around 2000 and has since been decreasing.
On the other end of the nutrition spectrum, over the last 40 years, obesity has increased in every country in the world. From 1975 to 2016, the global prevalence of obesity in 5–19-year-olds increased eight-fold, from 5 to 50 million girls and from 6 to 74 million boys.
The persistence of undernutrition and the explosion of overnutrition and its consequences in later life have led to a concurrent burden of under- and overnutrition, the vast majority of which is borne by low- and middle-income countries and by low-income populations within high-income countries, accentuating global gaps and disparities in nutrition.
Studies on diet and nutrition also highlight the need for better and more standardized methodological approaches, including better predictors of weight and adiposity and better assessment of nutrient intake.
The aim of this Research Topic is to gather original research manuscripts, meta-analyses, and new reviews dealing with the endocrine and metabolic consequences of malnutrition (under- and overnutrition), e.g., stunting, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and Prader–Willi syndrome, and the latest developments in their prevention and treatment. The above-mentioned potential topics are suggestions; other relevant topics will be considered.
Nutritional science was born in the early years of the 20th century with the identification and synthesis of many of the known essential vitamins and minerals and their use to prevent and treat nutritional deficiency-related diseases including scurvy, beriberi, pellagra, rickets, xerophthalmia, and nutritional anemias. Nowadays, we face the double burden of malnutrition, which is characterized by the coexistence of undernutrition along with overweight and obesity, or diet-related noncommunicable diseases, already starting from childhood. Mal- and overnutrition are global challenges that all countries need to address. Nutritional alterations affect every aspect of the functioning of the endocrine system and metabolism, leading to serious disorders. Over the last few decades, the use of nutrition has shifted from ensuring that the diet contains sufficient macro-and micronutrients to consuming nutrition with the purpose of improving health.
Over the last 30 years, remarkable global progress has been made in decreasing undernutrition for children of all ages. While global data for this age group is scarce, recent studies shed light on the current situation. The absolute number of underweight children 5–19 years of age peaked around 2000 and has since been decreasing.
On the other end of the nutrition spectrum, over the last 40 years, obesity has increased in every country in the world. From 1975 to 2016, the global prevalence of obesity in 5–19-year-olds increased eight-fold, from 5 to 50 million girls and from 6 to 74 million boys.
The persistence of undernutrition and the explosion of overnutrition and its consequences in later life have led to a concurrent burden of under- and overnutrition, the vast majority of which is borne by low- and middle-income countries and by low-income populations within high-income countries, accentuating global gaps and disparities in nutrition.
Studies on diet and nutrition also highlight the need for better and more standardized methodological approaches, including better predictors of weight and adiposity and better assessment of nutrient intake.
The aim of this Research Topic is to gather original research manuscripts, meta-analyses, and new reviews dealing with the endocrine and metabolic consequences of malnutrition (under- and overnutrition), e.g., stunting, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and Prader–Willi syndrome, and the latest developments in their prevention and treatment. The above-mentioned potential topics are suggestions; other relevant topics will be considered.
