Early nutrition and brain development
1991
Winick, M.
Severe early undernutrition retards cellular proliferation within the developing brain, resulting in a reduced number of cells when the brain reaches adult size. In addition, distortions in brain growth also occur depending upon the timing and the severity of the undernutrition. One region of the brain may be affected more than another or one cell type may be affected more than another, and myelination and dendritic arborization may be reduced. In children who were severely undernourished early in life and then returned to the environment that produced the undernutrition, permanent behavioral abnormalities are common. By contrast, these behavioral abnormalities are not present in children who are undernourished early in life (for medical reasons) but raised in a stimulating environment and they can be minimized by providing environmental stimulation early to children who are undernourished in the usual environment of poverty and deprivation. The data suggest that prevention of the behavioral consequences formerly ascribed to early malnutrition requires eradication of the primary cause of the malnutrition, i.e., poverty. Thus, food programs aimed at reducing the incidence of malnutrition, unless accompanied by programs to enhance environmental stimulation, may not be enough to prevent the later effects of early malnutrition on development.
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