Leading Medical Journal Releases Recommendations To Reduce Hidden Hunger

Hunger is widely known as a global problem in the food system, but what about hidden hunger? Many have not even heard of this term — defined as suffering from chronic malnutrition with respect to critical vitamins and minerals — but the issue plagues as many as two billion people around the world.

Fortunately, a recent series of papers on "Maternal and Child Nutrition" published by medical journal The Lancet offers hope. According to the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the recommendations offered by The Lancet have the potential to save a million lives annually.

In the series' executive summary, The Lancet states, "The post-2015 sustainable development agenda must put addressing all forms of malnutrition at the top of its goals."

Key aims for the nutrition-specific interventions recommended include replacing iron-folate with multiple micronutrient supplements for pregnant women, working to prevent malaria contraction during pregnancy, and promoting breast-feeding.

To see a map of the regions suffering from hidden hunger, click here.