On the Medical Front: Malnutrition

March 13, 2009

This article is part of the Spring 2009 issue of the MSF Alert newsletter.

Ready-to-use food supplements (RUFs) can significantly reduce rates of the deadliest forms of malnutrition, according to the results of a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on January 21. The study took place in Niger in 2006 and 2007 during the period between harvests when children are most vulnerable to malnutrition and showed that children given RUFs in addition to their normal diet were 60 percent less likely to progress to the severe stages of malnutrition than those who were not given the supplements. MSF began using this preventative strategy in its projects in 2007.

 

Related:

• JAMA Study Shows Food Supplements Can Significantly Reduce Rates of Deadliest Form of Malnutrition

Tags: Malnutrition, Paediatric Care, Child