Global outlook on nutrition and the environment: meeting the challenges ofthe next millennium

As we enter the new millennium, nearly 800 million of the World's populatio n will remain chronically malnourished. Nearly 200 million children are mod erately to severely underweight, while 70 million are severely malnourished . And those who are yet to be born will be faced with the same set of circu mstances that predispose them to malnutrition and its consequences. Eradica tion of nutritional deficiencies among women and children on a global scale are needed to ensure improved quality of life for the next generation of c itizens. Primary deficiencies in vitamin A, iron, iodine, calcium, folic ac id and trace elements such as zinc are compounded by pollutants caused by h uman activity. Environmental lead, arsenic, mercury, and other heavy metals that enter the food chain can seriously deplete body stores of iron, vitam in C and other essential nutrients leading to decreased immune defenses, in trauterine growth retardation, impaired psyche-social faculties and other d isabilities associated with malnutrition. Increased susceptibilities to com municable diseases, and those provoked by water or insect borne vectors are additional risks encountered by malnourished individuals. Migration of pop ulations from rural to urban centers and the expansion of major metropolita n areas have had a significant and adverse impact on the quality of life of these citizens. In the next 20 years most of the growth in urban populatio ns will be in Asia and Latin America. Urbanization and the resultant burden on limited national resources is a major contributory factor to malnutriti on. There are many other lifestyle-associated disabilities such as use of t obacco (cancer) and alcoholism that require active intervention. Within the family unit, socioeconomic factors and the status of women (literacy, econ omic independence) are major determinants of the quality of life. In the co ming century, the World will have to meet these challenges by careful plann ing and international cooperation. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All right s reserved.