Pediatric

Pediatric Nutrition: First things first

With over 25% of the world’s children experiencing failure to thrive (FTT), stunted growth, and or delayed development, it is a good time to look at the various facets of pediatric nutrition that require particular attention (1).  Recent assessments of pediatric malnutrition have indicated that the influence of one or more micronutrient deficiencies on the trajectory of a child’s health may be far greater than previously thought and that clinicians must consider a much larger number of nutritional factors than energy and protein intake (2).  An over reliance on assessing nourishment by the use of typical anthropometric values, can provide a false sense of adequacy.  While the classic model of FTT relies upon the use of height and weight growth charts and percentiles, there may be neurological or other developmental delays that are equally tied to malnutrition. Continue reading