Can poor nutrition during childhood lead to chronic health conditions in adulthood?

Researchers around the globe teamed up to determine whether severe malnourishment during early childhood lead to cardiovascular impairments later in life. Their findings prompt us to think carefully about even mild malnutrition in children.

by John B. Tyburski, PhD, MPH, Advisory Board Member

Copyright © 2014 Youth Fitness Council, LLC. All rights reserved.

First published at Youth FitnessCouncil on August 17, 2014

What happens during childhood may last a lifetime. This is not a novel idea, but how often do we think in these terms about nutrition? New research shows that severely malnourished children are at higher risk of experiencing high blood pressure as adults, and their hypertension is likely the result of permanent alterations in their cardiovascular systems that occurred during development. These findings prompt parents and child health experts to consider nutrition on all levels and the implications of even mild or transient malnourishment during periods critical for proper development.

Investigators studied 116 young Jamaican adults of mean age 29, mostly in their 20s and 30s, with history of severe acute malnutrition (SAM) during gestation through the first five years of life. When comparing arterial blood pressure and other health measures of these adults with 45 adult male and female “neighborhood controls” with no history of SAM, a correlation of SAM and hypertension (high blood pressure) emerged. This positive correlation was not influenced by other factors that the researchers considered as potential confounders, or alternative explanations.

The study participants were also examined by electrocardiogram imaging for heart structure and function assessment. Overall, adults with SAM history had higher diastolic blood pressure and peripheral resistance measurements as well as less efficient blood pumping by their hearts. These adverse health effects were related to alterations in heart and arterial anatomy, leading researchers to speculate that SAM at critical periods during development may stunt proper cardiovascular development.

“If nutritional needs are not met during this time, when structures of the body are highly susceptible to potentially irreversible change, it could have long-term consequences on heart anatomy and blood flow later in life,” said Terrence Forrester, Ph.D., senior author and chief scientist, UWI Solutions for Developing Countries, University of the West Indies, Mona, in Kingston, Jamaica.

“We are concerned that millions of people globally who suffer malnutrition before or after birth are at increased risk of hypertension in later life,” said Forrester in a press release.

Malnutrition and malnourishment are most prevalent in developing countries, including Jamaica. However, these important public health problems also plague the U.S. and other developed nations where hunger and poverty, especially for children, persist without real change in site. Estimates for 2012 made by the U.S. Department of Agriculture put the number of U.S. children in hunger status at 8.3 million. The World Food Programme estimates that 842 million people worldwide are undernourished right now, meaning that one in every eight people on Earth do not get enough of the right food to be healthy and active. Hunger and malnutrition are the most widespread and serious public health problems, even more serious than HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined. As evidenced by Tennant et al, hunger and malnutrition may be root causes for untold numbers of chronic health conditions. The new findings support the idea that addressing poverty and malnutrition may offer high-impact public health preventive targets. Here in the U.S., even in homes that do not feel the tangible crush of inadequate food supply, nutritional choices and habits during childhood may still influence long-term health. After all, with myriad options for processed and “junk” foods, it is possible for a child to, in a sense, starve amidst caloric abundance because important trace nutrients may be inadequate in foods that supply plenty of simple energy. It is reasonable to speculate that if SAM is associated with permanent alterations in cardiovascular anatomy that result in hypertension and other chronic health conditions, mild to moderate malnutrition may influence the risk of these and other conditions later on in life. Perhaps the consequences may not be as severe, but not enough is known at this time to rule out the possibility. Besides, there is no evidence that proper and adequate nutrition is detrimental in any way, so erring on the side of caution is justifiable. It is therefore crucial for pregnant women and young children to have not only adequate caloric intake but the right foods as well. To this end, Youth Fitness Council aims to provide sound, evidence-based, up-to-date dietary and nutritional information to children, parents, and youth leaders.