What are the consequences of malnutrition ?

Consequences and Adverse Impacts of Malnutrition:

Malnutrition inflicts irreversible physical, cognitive, demographic, and macroeconomic damage on individuals and the nation:

• 1. Severe Physical & Morphological Deficits:
  • Stunting: Irreversible low height-for-age, crippling physical development.
  • Wasting: Acute low weight-for-height, increasing vulnerability to Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM).
• 2. Cognitive Impairment & Educational Deficits: Micronutrient deficiencies (iron, iodine) impair brain development, lowering IQ, learning capacity, and school performance.
• 3. High Infant and Child Mortality: Malnutrition is the underlying risk factor contributing to over 50% of all under-5 child deaths from pneumonia, diarrhea, and measles.
• 4. Intergenerational Cycle of Deprivation: Malnourished girls grow into undernourished, anemic mothers who give birth to low-birth-weight babies.
• 5. Macroeconomic Productivity Loss: World Bank estimates that malnutrition costs India 2% to 3% of its annual GDP due to lost workforce productivity and healthcare expenditure.